In recent years the toy has been the object I have chosen to use in my work as a metaphor for mass consumerism. This has led me to consider the toy as an object, not so much in itself, but as part of a system of signs and syntax developed through the relationships between objects. Removed from their origins and re-contextualised, objects take on new meanings and can be used to express a multitude of ideas. I this respect, in my recent paintings,using techniques derived from earlier collage work I combine imagery from a variety of sources. I use images of objects from home and studio in combination with those appropriated from books, newspapers and magazines to create visual narratives. The re-formed images are assembled into something new, personal and unique in which the over riding consideration is the aesthetic.

Jane Fairhurst, August 2007