summer songs
A song can be defined as a short poem or a group of words set to music usually meant to be sung and when fully realised enjoyed and heard.
In this body of work I have endeavoured to compose a song made up of images from repeating marks, shapes, colours and layers of brushstroke.
If these images were words they would read as
skin seeking heat, warmed back, circling birds, wooden steps, toi toi paths, night stars, days heat, living memory, rolling silence, sun tempered eyelids, outward breath, cloud pathways, floating wet silence.
I have composed with paint an emotional landscape of what summer feels, tastes and sounds like for me. I invite you to come and listen to my song.
My paintings have always explored my response to a place, a moment in time, a phrase or word. With repeating shapes and recurring marks, these painterly worlds become open to reinterpretation. They invite you to make connections, to allow the colours to register feeling. Colour in all my work is key to meaning, it is an emotional trigger, an invitation into the sense & sway of the works.
Underlying present layers of paint are a pathway to understanding the process I take in the creation of my painted worlds.
Just a Perfect Day
Sitting beautifully beside these paintings are the whimsical monoprints created by Auckland artist Jenny Dow.
Just a Perfect Day’ is taken from Lou Reed’s song ‘Perfect Day’. The work is about the peace of mind that comes from an uncluttered day spent in a quiet city space, a park, beach or rural space. With another or alone.
"I like to watch people in such places and how unconsciously they get lost in their own worlds."
Jenny Dow's process - in her own words.
Monoprints: Monoprinting is a means of making stand alone images or studies for eventual paintings. I find they have a flexibility and immediacy. An image can be quickly laid down, and easily modified, if necessary, before printing. Monoprinting usually means one print - not an edition of many prints the same. It's possible to print 2 or 3 more images off the same plate, but no image is as intensely visual as the first. There are several different techniques to use in monoprinting, I use a fairly traditional one.
I paint directly onto a zinc plate (or glass or Perspex- any highly polished surface). I use brush and rags with oil based inks or oil paints mixed with Stand Oil and/or Gum Turpentine.
When the image is complete I place dampened Watercolour Paper over the image and print with either a Hand Roller or Printing Press and leave to dry.
Inks used in these prints are Flint Ink Oil based Printing Inks. The paper I use is Hahnemuhle Watercolour Board 'Britannia' 300 gsm hot press.
We invite you to join us for a glass of wine at the opening of this show
Thursday 27th April 6-8pm
Exhibition Wed 26th April - Sat 13th May.