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My paintings are the consequence of exploration of contradictions, between my painting process and the incurred narrative of the symbols used, and the resulting interplay of these factors.
The hard-edge and the flatness of my use of paint brings a premeditated and calculated aspect to the work, though this is inconsistent with my method of creation. I begin a work by creating abstract fields, experimenting snd manipulating the paint. The transitory state of the painting at this point becomes the catalyst in committing elements/objects that are inherent in the finished work.
It is the ongoing alterations, displacements and often the revealing of earlier abandoned motifs that underwrite the silent dialogue I have wit each painting. It is retrospect that I am able to understand fully the underlying narrative of each work.
The overall geometric structure I build within the painting surface, or the objects depicted, echoes my need for equilibrium and highlight a sense of dualism; the figuration and abstraction of surface, interplay of two or three dimensions and the use of natural and artificial forms convey this. The splitting of the surface area into distinct parts is used as a platform to engage our innate feeling for pattern, with the divisions being identified as both boundaries and/or enclosures.
The paintings also bring to light an unfading awareness of time. Though the images are fixed, they shift in relation to a diary of past events or prediction in an almanac of the future, acknowledging with anticipation and trepidation the approaching millennium.
When I recover symbols that have been buried under the surface of a layer of paint I am unearthing memories, clinging to the familiar, revealing how often we abandon possibilities in haste for new ground, yet remain enchanted with reminiscences of the past.
As the paintings become visual games that arouse my thoughts, I am aware I have encountered a shadow of myself. I do not wish the viewer to ëreadí this set narrative, but that the paintings will create a responsive effect within the viewerís own thoughts, dreams or illusion.
margaret adams | nur balkir | marion curle | julian davies | helen evans | beverlee foulkes | joe hewlett | j.m.quinn Copywrite © 1997 mfa university of newcastle-upon-tyne