Melting Pot

Group exhibition by the Hive Artists Studio in the Meadows Shopping Centre, Chelmsford, October 2025.

The theme of the exhibition explored the rich history of witchcraft in Chelmsford - a subject I found compelling, yet initially difficult to translate into visual form. My entry point emerged when I encountered a fragment of a White Witch’s pot, its surface adorned with a small decorative face intended to ward off evil spirits.

In response, I began painting faces in the most free and childlike manner I could, as a kind of personal exorcism - a way to channel my anxiety about the state of the world while retreating into a space of play and joyful abandon. In total, I created around thirty faces, nine of which were selected and arranged for exhibition under the title Ward.