I am fascinated by subjectivity, temporality and the limitations of human perception. My work explores and celebrates these themes and their emotional correlates through the rhythmic and indexical application of colour and line.
The practice exists in the creation of icons, monuments, memos and totems, utterances and observations, experiential markers, witnesses to the moments of my life, slices of personal history as momentary refractions of the human condition. I hope to convey a deep appreciation for the immensity of existence and the potentiality of consciousness.
Typically, each piece emerges over the course of weeks, months, sometimes years, so it becomes a practice in itself, a ritual, a reflection, and a meditation on what it means to be. Each completed piece is an immersion in the present, a rich evocation of the experience of being, and a material celebration of the beauty of presence, awareness, engagement, life.
Bebop — ink on paper (2012)
I fell in love with jazz at the age of 18, when I was young, idealistic and almost constantly euphoric. I am now a lot older, hopefully wiser, and certainly more grounded, yet through all life’s perplexities and complications, I have found that jazz, particularly the classic bebop from the 1950’s and 1960’s, has never failed to soothe me. As with all my pieces, the colour palette is derived from personal photographs, in this case, family portraits, interspersed with photos from jazz concerts.
Dance — ink on canvas (2011)
This piece was created as a response to my delight at beginning to learn to lindy hop in the Autumn of 2011, something I have wanted to learn for a number of years. The palette for this painting was derived from images of myself rehearsing dance positions and movements alone in my room, something I had done many times previously, but this time with the knowledge that my movements would be paired and synchronised with another’s, and the anticipated joy of seeing our internal rhythms correspond and complement each other’s.
Skate — ink on canvas (2010)
I have always struggled with balance, whether in sports, social activities, or in life in general. This piece was a celebration of discovering that I could move freely, and gracefully in time, across the sheet ice that formed on the hill where I live. I don’t know why I was able to do this after so many years of failing to balance on skateboards, skates, rollerblades, skis, etc. Effectively this precedent created the opportunity for me to enjoy the unforced rhythm of gliding which a lot of these activities afford, but in a most unusual manner. The palette is derived from older photos of my previous attempts to achieve this.
Posted in
Painting / MaalausComments
One response so far.
One Response
Ruth Geldard
2 April 2012 at 16:20
Amazing!