Menspace
Every man needs a shed, or so they say. My husband, father, brother in law and friend each have their own sheds, a personal space they call their own. Each one is very different to the other due to the hobbies they pursue in them. Only one is truly a garden shed but all are surrounded by green space and have green views.
Menspace: Watercolour Illustrations
Menspace: Installation View, Mixed Media
As a child I was fascinated by the garden shed at our home. It was an old air raid shelter at the bottom of the garden and was full of dark, damp spaces, dread and spiders. When my parents asked me to collect something from the shed I would run in with my eyes closed hoping to feel my way to the desired object without encountering the long-legged masters of the shed. I had read “The Hobbit” by then. Strangely, this fear of spiders never put me off gardening as a hobby and I have my own shed and green view now.
I have chosen to represent the four sheds, and thereby their owners, with four illustrations. Each is accompanied by a short text about each person. Accompanying these illustrations is my shed, looking every bit the pretty, girly green view I dreamed of but with a dark and sinister secret lurking inside- who dares to look?
Emma Grant