25 Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill, painting number 25 in the 1–100 series and the second work in which dogs take centre stage. As with the earlier painting, Travelling Companions, these animals are not incidental companions but quiet protagonists, anchoring the emotional tone of the scene. Here, Jack and Jill sit low to the ground, partially hidden beneath a deck chair, observing the world from the margins. Their position immediately sets a mood of waiting, patience, and quiet companionship.

The composition is deceptively simple. A single white deck chair occupies the left side of the painting, its clean geometry softened by a red cushion draped across the seat. Beneath it, Jack and Jill rest in the shade, their grey coats echoing the muted tones of the chair’s shadow. Beyond them stretches a wide band of ochre ground, a horizontal plane that leads the eye toward a low wall and the calm, flat expanse of blue sea. Above, a luminous sky and softly billowing clouds complete the scene, creating a sense of stillness and suspended time.

Colour plays a crucial role in shaping the emotional landscape of Jack and Jill. The bold contrast between the saturated blue sky, the warm yellow ground, and the deep greens of the surrounding foliage gives the painting a heightened, almost cinematic clarity. These colours are not naturalistic so much as remembered, recalling the way places from childhood or long-ago summers exist in memory, simplified, intensified, and bathed in perfect light. The red cushion introduces a small but vital note of warmth and human presence, suggesting that someone has recently been there, or will return.

The dogs themselves embody loyalty and togetherness. Their paired presence reinforces the title, Jack and Jill, a name that evokes nursery rhymes, childhood stories, and the idea of moving through life as a duo. Unlike the rhyme, however, there is no sense of impending mishap here. Instead, Jack and Jill appear calm and content, united in their shared vantage point. They do not dominate the scene; rather, they observe quietly, reminding us that much of life is spent waiting by choice or by habit.

There is also a subtle tension between presence and absence. The empty chair implies a human figure just out of frame, while the dogs remain steadfastly in place. This contrast highlights the difference between human restlessness and animal constancy. Jack and Jill do not question the pause; they inhabit it fully. In doing so, they become symbols of attentiveness and unconditional companionship.

As the twenty-fifth painting in the 1–100 series, Jack and Jill feels like a moment of calm reflection within a broader journey. It reinforces recurring themes in the series: waiting, stillness, and the quiet narratives found in everyday scenes. By placing the dogs low in the frame and giving so much space to the sky and sea, the painting invites the viewer to slow down, sit with the moment, and appreciate the simple comfort of shared silence.

Oil on fine portrait linen: 125 x 95 cm 49.21 x 37.4 in (Sold)