Red Sky At Morning (2025) captures the extreme colour of the early morning sky as the sun rises. The scene is quite personal as it is set from Carney’s viewpoint and car- which puts the viewer in the same spot where she had witnessed this sky. It is quite an impressive moment as the reds dominate the sky and the landscape as its light reflects onto the ground, creating a vibrant natural light. Due to its concentration on the early morning sky, the scene itself is very meditative, grounds the viewer with the environment, and connects them to their surroundings.
The composition itself is extraordinarily contrasting, as the reds directly contrast the blue fences and the black asphalt of the car park. This creates a very surrealistic and quite dreamlike scene as the red sky transitions from purples to magentas to reds and oranges. The silhouette of trees in the background incidentally cuts a line between the sky and the area from where Carney views the skies. The light from the artificial lighting reflects from the asphalt against the more natural reflections from the sky onto the car.
The car seems empty, which adds to the reflection and solitary element of the painting. Thus, the car park is empty of human presence, creating a space for immersing oneself in the beauty of the skyscape presented and for reflection.
“I have to be leaving, but I won’t let that come between us” (2024) is a work that has been inspired by Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003) and wonderfully depicts Charlotte’s loneliness and existential struggle as she looks at her reflection in the window. It is a more complex exploration of the concept of solitude as this reflects the universal and shared desire for purpose and connection.
The headphones over Charlotte’s ears further isolate her from the surroundings, emphasising the emotional distance she feels despite how close she is to the world she sees through the glass. The visage from this window is blurred as it increases the subject’s disconnection from her environment and struggles for purpose. The comic-book style illustrative shading brings the viewer’s eye to Charlotte as the viewer is invited to contemplate within this solitude and on the purpose of their own lives.
The scene is within the transition, creating a liminal space constantly moving and, at its present- nowhere. The interior of a vehicle in transit does not feel as though it is moving, yet the outside is moving. This perfectly captures how Charlotte is feeling and perhaps what the viewer may be feeling.