Karen Strang, a friend of Peter and Sian, recently had this exhibition in Perth.
Karen provided this introduction to her exhibition:
“It has been a heartfelt project since my mother died suddenly in February 2023.
The grief has been transformed into a celebration of her life through these portraits, and in this regard I feel blessed to be an artist. As a larger than life character, the four portraits depicting ‘Cold War Chic’ are oversized heads in oil on canvas with a nod the Eastern European aesthetic in fashion and poster art.
Dr Zofia Strang (nee Stachaszewska) was a pioneer, having lived in Poland under Nazi occupation, then Stalinism, she survived TB to train at the prestigious Medical School in Dublin.
After qualifying as a medical doctor, she made a new life in Scotland in 1962, working for the NHS initially in Falkirk, as a hospital doctor in various fields and various locations but finally in psychiatry.
My mother devoted her entire medical career with the NHS between 1962 and 2005.
Few women worked as full-time hospital doctors at the beginning of that period and, as an immigrant, this too was challenging.
These paintings all have stories, however I invite viewers to engage with a fresh eye and interact with Zaza and her enduring energy.”
I was fortunate to meet Zaza, alas only once. Here are a few photographs of Karen’s exhibition that I took when we visited on the 1st June 2024:
