Angel at My Table is my tribute to my dear friend the remarkable Tasmanian artist, Gay Hawkes, who tragically lost her son in September 2023. When I heard the news, my studio transformed into a space to process the loss and suddenly, the symbols and props I’d been using for years found new meaning, coming together with a powerful sense of clarity. La Catrina, with her dramatic and humorous take on death became a central muse in this work. Other inspirations blended into this tribute include the Danse Macabre, the fierce Hindu deity Kali Ma, Marina Abramovic's Self-Portrait with Skeleton, and Michelangelo’s La Pietà, capturing the image of a mother cradling her lost son.

_Jacqui Stockdale, 2024