Some of Martha Parsey’s languorous characters have the fascinating power of unapproachable heroines, others the attractiveness of the woman-child, but all have an undeniable, almost hypnotic charisma. Reinforced by the neutral background of the raw canvas from which they emanate, the figures are infused with a strong sculptural quality. Their flesh is bursting with sensuality, in sheer contrast to the severe lines of their abstract backdrop. Much of the potency of Parsey’s work resides in the intense and carefully orchestrated interplay between the figures and their environment, creating a theatre or field of action united by an intense graphic curiosity and a matching painterly gift. Strong linear patterns surround the figures, with the background acting like a map of paths taken and abandoned, feelings charted or compartmentalized in an inner landscape.

Mastering the whole scale of painting technique, Parsey multiplies her references; from figurative painting, Art-Deco design, to expressionist abstraction – occasionally borrowing from a pop aesthetic. In Days Without Years (2007), a young woman, intensely looks ahead, as if challenging the viewer. She reappears in Always Something There to Remind Me (2007), lying languishingly amongst abstract Baconesque shapes. Parsey’s complex titles seem to introduce stories, yet the narratives are never fully disclosed. Each canvas seems to introduce the characters of an intense drama that is waiting to be played.