June Sira Paintings

June Sira Paintings

There’s an other-worldly stillness to June Sira’s paintings that captures a fundamental aspect of youth – their rich interior landscape and an often overlooked thoughtfulness and wisdom that comes from a young person attempting to make sense of an ever challenging and changing world.

Our culture can be quick to label young people as narcissistic, screen obsessed and pathologically distracted by a constant stream of social media and information. If only that label didn’t fit so closely the lives of the adults so quick to condemn. We’re not so different from the people we’re older than as we might like to think.

What I like about June Sira’s work is the unflinching honesty and respect for the young people she depicts. She capture their personal worlds, thoughts and dreams as if they’re actually worth something – which of course they are. This serious attention to the wonder and magic of childhood is backed up by a painterly confidence and freedom to play and explore.

What connects the traditional portraits with the more mystical paintings of children with animals and birds is that commitment to depicting childhood with emotional authenticity.

Context and memories

Gaugin’s Tahitian paintings appear an influence in paintings such as Waterfall while The Annunciation recalls Balthus and his ‘timeless realism’. The silent gaze of the portraits brings to mind the quiet works of the Welsh Painter Gwen John and paintings such as The Convalescent.

About The Artist

June Sira is a Norwegian arist based in Oslo. She studied at Oslo National Acedemy Of The Arts before completing her Masters at Chelsea School of Art in 2000.

If you like what you see here then check out more of June Sira’s work (over 80 paintings and etchings) at the Saatchi Art link above.

June Sira Online

• June Sira · Saatchi Art
• June Sira · Facebook