There's a scene in my beloved Red Dwarf when Rimmer questions the Cat's attitudes to women and claims it's all about sex for the evolved feline. Dressed in an impeccable pink suit, the Cat replies: "Hey, I want to settle down. And as soon as I find the right small group of girls, the seven or eight women who are right for me, my wandering days are over, buddy."
Well, if I ever shared any of the large-fanged one's sentiments, then it's mission accomplished. Trawling some blogs for both inspiration for CD covers and a distraction from Jo Brand's cake version of Archbishop Desmond Tutu on the Great British Comic Relief Bake Off, I discovered Paula Bonet's collection of enigmatic ladies.
The Spanish artist's hive of portraits on her blog struck me as both incredibly simple but very effective. The collection of pencil, watercolours and collage are consistently striking, intriguing and clever.
Bonet's women peer sideways out of pictures with aloof distain, accompanied by intense red patches and featuring heaps of character. There's a bizarre mix of women and animals which would make Hugh Hefner blush. Be it fish going through heads, a woman wearing a fox's nose or a portrait laid over a stag's horns, the combinations work well and prove lively.
Perhaps the most striking image is that of a gagged redheaded woman with 'oh no', seemingly written on masking tape above her head. Bonet says: "What really interests me is the skin. I am interested in the skin and everything in it is readable." A perfect quality for a portrait specialist and there'll doubtless be plenty to come to leave me enchanted.
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