The story behind “Now hemmed in, now grasping all”

The title of this new mixed media abstract landscape in my Topophilia collection was inspired by Reiner Maria Rilke’s poem, “Evening”.

Below is an excerpt of the beginning of the poem, which starts out more literally, before it turns to metaphors of our inner landscapes as we respond to change, loss, and fear. (I like the English translation by F.C. MacIntyre best)

Slowly now the evening changes his garments

held for him by a rim of ancient trees;

you gaze: and the landscape divides and leaves you,

one sinking and one rising toward the sky.

“Now hemmed in, now grasping all” (2025). Acrylic paint and painted recycled papers. 100 x 120cm

Our oscillating responses to life’s fragility

Created intuitively from painted collage papers, the abstracted landscape reflects both the sunset in Rilke’s poem, “Evening”, and our inner metaphorical worlds. Vertical divisions suggest the boundaries we live with - some real, some self-imposed - while areas where color and texture blend evoke moments of openness, connection, growth, and grace. Like Rilke’s line, “now hemmed in, now grasping all,” the artwork captures our oscillating responses to life’s fragility and impermanence… pulsing between contraction and expansion, grief and resilience, limitation and possibility.

With its rich variety of colours and textures and inclusion of both crisp and soft lines, “Now hemmed in, now grasping all” looks fabulous in a wide variety of rooms styled in different colours and approaches.

And remember: your art doesn’t have to match. A statement piece that contrasts with some of the other colours in your room or provides a pop of colour in a neutral room can really sing!. Or picking up just one of the colours in the artwork to mirror with a few throw cushions or indoor plants can work really well too.