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An original oil painting by Meli Axford
Acrylic & Oil on Cotton, 2021, 100cm by 80cm
At first glance, the work depicts a familiar scene: a girl, a dog and a swimming pool set within the lush landscape of the Northern Rivers. Yet even in this early painting, the elements that would become central to the series are already present — the pool as sanctuary, the female figure as protagonist, and the landscape as an emotional rather than purely physical space.
Created before I fully understood the deeper motivations behind the work, Big Pink Pool now feels like an early conversation with my subconscious. The intense pink palette transforms the scene from observation into something more psychological and symbolic. The landscape becomes dreamlike, memory-infused and emotionally charged, while the pool itself radiates a sense of possibility, freedom and protection.
Throughout my practice, I explore themes of love, belonging, visibility and emotional safety. Over time, I came to recognise that the pool was not simply a recurring motif but a symbol of the environments in which people can flourish — spaces where vulnerability is met with care and where authentic self-expression becomes possible.
The solitary female figure stands poised at the water's edge, accompanied by a watchful companion. Together they occupy a moment of quiet anticipation, suspended between reflection and action. Like much of the Pool Series, the work invites viewers to project their own memories and emotions into the scene, creating a space where personal experience and collective longing intersect.
Looking back, Big Pink Pool feels less like the beginning of a painting series than the beginning of a long process of self-discovery. It is the first articulation of questions that would continue to unfold through the work: What does safety look like? How do we become ourselves? And what kinds of love make that possible?
An original oil painting by Meli Axford
Acrylic & Oil on Cotton, 2021, 100cm by 80cm
At first glance, the work depicts a familiar scene: a girl, a dog and a swimming pool set within the lush landscape of the Northern Rivers. Yet even in this early painting, the elements that would become central to the series are already present — the pool as sanctuary, the female figure as protagonist, and the landscape as an emotional rather than purely physical space.
Created before I fully understood the deeper motivations behind the work, Big Pink Pool now feels like an early conversation with my subconscious. The intense pink palette transforms the scene from observation into something more psychological and symbolic. The landscape becomes dreamlike, memory-infused and emotionally charged, while the pool itself radiates a sense of possibility, freedom and protection.
Throughout my practice, I explore themes of love, belonging, visibility and emotional safety. Over time, I came to recognise that the pool was not simply a recurring motif but a symbol of the environments in which people can flourish — spaces where vulnerability is met with care and where authentic self-expression becomes possible.
The solitary female figure stands poised at the water's edge, accompanied by a watchful companion. Together they occupy a moment of quiet anticipation, suspended between reflection and action. Like much of the Pool Series, the work invites viewers to project their own memories and emotions into the scene, creating a space where personal experience and collective longing intersect.
Looking back, Big Pink Pool feels less like the beginning of a painting series than the beginning of a long process of self-discovery. It is the first articulation of questions that would continue to unfold through the work: What does safety look like? How do we become ourselves? And what kinds of love make that possible?