Ensconced

A means of confinement...
or a place of safety?

A clay female torso surrounded by wire netting, painted in neutral colours
A clay female torso surrounded by wire netting, painted in neutral colours
A clay female torso surrounded by wire netting, painted in neutral colours
A clay female torso surrounded by wire netting, painted in neutral colours
A clay female torso surrounded by wire netting, painted in neutral colours
A clay female torso surrounded by wire netting, painted in neutral colours

2024 Air-hardening clay, wire netting and acrylic paint on oak plinth

'Ensconced' explores the concept of the 'comfort zone' - represented as a tangible space - and its occupant's unwillingness or inability to vacate it. The figure is inextricably fused with the wire structure, essentially ensconced within a state of mind that finds comfort in the familiar and the unchallenging. Paradoxically, the figure's safe haven appears to be a form of cage; the implication being that despite the peace of mind one might find within it, one's comfort zone, is effectively, a means of confinement.

'Ensconced' was part of the group exhibition 'Art as a Response to Mental Health', June/July 2024, Doncaster Art Fair.
Featured work, 'Artists of The Season' Winter 2024, Art from Heart CIC, London.
Featured in 'Women Art' Special Edition, June 2025, Collect Art, Tbilisi, Georgia.
One of three works to take part in the group virtual exhibition 'Not Just a Week', March 2026, The Other Collective CIC, Grimsby.

Susan J Hart BA(Hons) MA Fine Art Based in North Lincolnshire