Vivaciously expressive paintings by Cristina de Miguel are full of playful drama. Elastic female bodies bend and stretch alongside a host of hybrid creatures. Mermaids, animals and mythic beasts all meld into the background – making the environment as important as the individual figures. The artist works in lots of different ways, but in general, she creates a thin background wash that dries overnight and then applies many layers with a mix of acrylic paint and oil stick. This is Cristina's M.O. – materiality. The infinite qualities of paint prevail over the narratives they tell. That said, allegorical stories do emerge, albeit subconsciously, and the artist intentionally leaves these open for the viewer to decipher.