Able-Graphy: Volume 2

In recent months I’ve been working on a new painting, inspired by the Able Crossbody bag, from luxury leather accessories brand Nosakhari.

Back towards the end of 2024, Nosakhari put an open call on social media for artists to submit proposals for artworks inspired by the Able Crossbody. My rain series, largely featuring women walking in the city, felt like great preparation for this. I could see one of my painted women, walking, thinking, wearing an Able Crossbody on her journey. So, after writing and submitting an idea for how the iconic bag would weave into my practice, I was over the moon when I was chosen as one of the artists!

With my rain series, I paint from my own photos and film stills, featuring passersby, motion blur, reflections and lights, but in order to create a story for the Able Crossbody to feature, I needed to set up a photoshoot. One afternoon, with a friend acting as model, we embarked on a walk around the City to shoot reference material. I was searching for emotive qualities to bring the piece to life - rich colour, light and movement.

Sample of camera roll

After the shoot, I wanted to explore the imagery before I put brush onto panel. Selecting a few key moments that spoke to me, I made some oil pastel drawings, to remove myself from tight representation, bringing in mark making and loose qualities. I found these helped my selection process, helped me settle on composition and colour that really inspired me.

I project stories onto the women in my paintings, via their titling, stories from their inner dialogue. The lone woman walking in the city has the space to think and breathe, separated, briefly, from the other responsibilities demanding her attention. My final piece, ‘I Did Almost Nothing’, can have many interpretations. I like to think of the pieces as film segments, a single frame from a narrative. Perhaps she’s thinking, ruminating, on a previous event; or rethinking a close encounter in the scene before.

Work in progress on ‘I Did Almost Nothing’, oil on panel, for Able-Graphy*: Volume 2

You can catch my painting with all other chosen artists at Nosakhari’s exhibition, Able-Graphy*: Volume 2, at Galleria Objets, 92 Brick Lane, London, E1 6LY until this Sunday, 23 February.

‘I Did Almost Nothing’, oil on panel, 457mm x 609mm (18 x 24 inches). £760. Please email for enquiries, mail@sherigee.com.