Sojourn: Charlotte Keates explores US and Canada to find nostalgia and anticipation of the unknown

Funnily enough, part of Charlotte's inspiration was just that era. This body of work, entitled Sojourn, is in response to a recent three-month 'inspiration trip' around the States and Canada. Aiming to trigger a feeling or memory within the viewer, the artist adds a recreation of her own personal experiences and observations, and the resulting work crosses the boundaries between nostalgia and an anticipation of the unknown.

In an upcoming solo exhibition at Arusha Gallery in Edinburgh, Charlotte's 1960s and 70s-inspired pieces will be on show to the public. She says: "I aim to create intriguing and surprisingly illusionary interiors. The landscape and sea, with swimming pools and birch trees have consistently become a significant part, and over time any combination of these features are likely to play an integral role in my paintings.

"What is outside and surrounding us, I find exhilarating and inspiring; a beautiful location, or setting, becoming the anchor of the painting, as this exterior I allow to flood into the interior. The viewer’s own experiences and imagination play as much a part of the narrative as my own, whilst a moment or scene is composed from my imagination, the story is left entirely ambiguous to unfold as the viewer wishes it to."

Sojourn runs from 5 - 30 May 2017 at Arusha Gallery, Edinburgh. For more information, visit www.arushagallery.com.