SHARP EDGES, March 2026

An everyday item, but with a sinister side.

I use scissors all the time. Most of ours at home are a bit blunt and a bit broken. This pair belonged to my grandmother: they are pristine and cut beautifully, decades after she bought them.

I am inspired by an artist called Harrison Halaska, who paints still lifes into corners. I love the way his corners hold the subject in space. I asked him about his work and he told me, among other things, if you like something, take it. So, I cut open a cardboard box with my grandmother's scissors, placed the scissors in the corner and painted them, blades open. This is my first corner painting. I wanted to have a go at painting sharpness.

The red handles are vivid against the warm ground, rich and saturated but also completely ordinary. Kitchen scissors, painted this close and this large, open like that, they become something else.

Acrylic on Stone Paper, 29 × 21 cm