Footnotes

Provenance
Property from the Charity's collection.

Note: The proceeds from the sale of this work will be donated to the charity 'The Chester Childbirth Appeal.'

Note: There is a plaque on the lower centre of the frame with the name of the artist, Sara Khan, the date of the work, 2018 and the information 'Presented to Chester Childbirth Appeal.'

Succour by Sara Riaz Khan
The spaces that we inhabit, what they look like and how they make us feel, can definitively impact our wellbeing. In 2018 Mrs. Patricia Daniels MBE asked me to create a painting for the Comfort Zone of the Countess of Chester Hospital. The painting was intended for the 'Quiet Room', a private space in which parents met with doctors to discuss their children's' prognosis. Whether consciously noticed or not, the painting could make a difference to the space and therefore to the people in it.

The importance of having a comforting environment was not lost on me; at the age of twelve, my daughter had a near fatal accident and my husband and I spent considerable time talking to doctors. With tremendous resolve, our daughter pulled through and pulled us through too. I knew that the only place I could face my emotions was on the canvas. In order to express myself without feeling vulnerable, I chose an abstract approach. Since then, I have continued to experiment with tools and techniques. creating multi-layered abstract paintings using oil and gesso. Some series have been celebratory, some have explored our connection to each other and to the natural world and others have been inspired by stories.

Reflecting on how I could contribute towards creating a comforting space for the 'Quiet Room', the word 'Succour' came to mind. I knew that the painting needed to convey a sense of strength as well as softness. In order to do this, it needed an underlying structure, depth and open areas where the eye could rest. I wanted to use colours which were not dull but not obtrusive either. Due to the painting's scale and horizontal format every centimetre counted. Looking closely at the work you can see that within and behind the yellows there are soft pinks, greens, pale violets and light blues. Organic and textured shapes evoke a sense of vitality and growth.

Richard Tuttle's quote, "An artwork is of course the accounting of the visible world but it is equally an accounting of the invisible world", speaks to the idea of art as a means of drawing attention to our inner life. Amongst other things, 'Succour' takes into account aspects of our humanity such as compassion, creativity and resolve. The painting is now ready to go to a new home. Proceeds from its sale will go towards procuring oxygen saturation meters and vein detectors for the Children's Ward at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

A few months ago I visited the Watts Gallery and came across G.F. Watt's painting, 'Hope'. I had seen what I now know is a copy of it, at the Tate on a school trip. As a child I was transfixed by the image but could not have begun to explain why. So many years and so many paintings later, I finally have an inkling. Perhaps in the blindfolded figure seated on the globe we can recognise a part of ourselves however big or small, that refuses to give up.