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'The Sun was Just as Harsh' is a unframed acrylic and bar painting on a wooden panel by Daisy Billowes

Medium: Acrylic and bar on wooden panel.

Dimensions: 40cm x 30cm X 2cm

At the heart of Billowes's work lies a fascination with mythological women, particularly those who, in Greek mythology, are often defined by their relationships to gods and male heroes. While their stories are shaped by external forces, these figures possess moments of autonomy, introspection, and quiet power that transcend the confines of plot. Billowes seeks to inhabit these liminal spaces, presenting works that reimagine these women in states of serene self-possession, detached from the chaos of their legendary tales. Here, mythological figures are no longer accessories to heroic exploits but individuals with their own stories, emotions, and states of being.

For Billowes, painting is a testament to possibility. As she works, images emerge, dissolve, and return, always leaving traces of their existence—a poignant reminder that creation is a cyclical act, a perpetual dialogue between presence and absence.

Her practice is circular, feeding into itself in a continual dialogue of material, process, and meaning. Playful and grounded in a strong, tactile aesthetic, her work thrives on disruption— creating dis[order] to reimagine intimate, meditative representations of women in moments of repose. These moments, full of silence and solitude, challenge traditional portrayals of mythological women and encourage viewers to see them through a contemporary lens. In these spaces, women are no longer trapped by the limitations of narrative expectation but exist as resilient, autonomous figures whose experiences resonate across time.

This is a practice of excavation and celebration—an exploration of what lies beneath the surface, within the silences, and between the layers. It is an invitation to see myth not as a static narrative but as a living, breathing testament to resilience and possibility.

Biography

Daisy’s practice explores themes of mythology, folklore, and the female narrative through a multi- disciplinary approach, including painting and drawing. She has been included in the RA Summer Exhibition 2026, Shortlisted for the Well Hung Painting Prize 2026 and Longlisted for the Jackson’s Art Prize and was recently included in ‘Dolce Far Ninete’, an exhibition by Vittoria Beltrame with myma. She was awarded a grant by the Manx Art Council to make a new body of work focusing on local folklore and mythology. In early 2024, she undertook a residency with Studio Umami on the Isle of Man, following her participation in Unit 1 Gallery Workshop’s Radical Residency VII in London (2022).

Daisy Billowes

'The Sun Was Just As Harsh', Painting On Panel, Unframed