lichenscape I is one of my recent paintings currently on show in a mixed contemporary art exhibition at the harleston gallery, norfolk. here is the painting in situ, above a dark grey marble fireplace in one of the upper galleries…
[lichenscape I, harleston gallery, norfolk]
at the recent preview evening someone saw a similarity in the material surface elements of lichenscape to a scientific image which was published in the guardian newspaper that very same day (friday) – an image taken by the nasa hubble space telescope of the distant galaxy Centaurus A…
‘Resembling looming rain clouds on a stormy day, dark lanes of dust crisscross the giant elliptical galaxy Centaurus A. Hubble’s panchromatic vision, stretching from ultraviolet through near-infrared wavelengths, reveals the vibrant glow of young, blue star clusters and a glimpse into regions normally obscured by the dust.
The warped shape of Centaurus A’s disk of gas and dust is evidence for a past collision and merger with another galaxy. The resulting shockwaves cause hydrogen gas clouds to compress, triggering a firestorm of new star formation. These are visible in the red patches in this Hubble close-up.
At a distance of just over 11 million light-years, Centaurus A contains the closest active galactic nucleus to Earth. The center is home for a supermassive black hole that ejects jets of high-speed gas into space, but neither the supermassive or the jets are visible in this image.’
© NASA 2011
Image © NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage
[new stars born into a distant galaxy, and there's a 'supermassive' black hole in there, somewhere]
so, this serendipitous, inter-stellar connection has signalled the opportunity to take a closer look at the cosmic surface of this abstract painting…
my visual influences are many & varied, including the natural, microscopic and biological world, but equally satellite images of the earth and outer space. the link to a faraway galaxy is perhaps a tenuous one to make for this painting, but when i have observed the intricate patterns of mould, algae or lichens growing on a surface i am always reminded of the visual comparisons and sychronicity between such things, even within a discreetly colonised surface there is a small universe all of its own…
such small surface elements are often discovered in places of structural decay or simple neglect, where nature has (naturally enough) taken precedence over the man-made environment, where the material elements of time & nature are etched deep into surfaces, with a sense of solitude or melancholia quietly pervading the scene. i am also intrigued by how seemingly abandoned places are very much ‘alive’ and resonate with a hidden history…
thinking back to the expanding universe and the cosmos, also caused me to think again of a painting in the tate modern art collection, cosmos and disaster by david alfaro siqueiros.
Cosmos and Disaster (Cosmos y desastre) circa 1936. Duco, Pyroxilin, sand, wood on copper mesh over plywood
© Tate/Estate of David Alfaro Siqueiros
duco, i believe, is a brand of enamel paint and pyroxilin cellulose car paint. it is a painting in which the use of unconventional materials (at the time) seem to give birth to the image, arising out of the process of painting, and yet the artist must have harboured these ideas beforehand – as if those ideas and feelings surfaced and directed the outcome of the painting. siqueiros ran experimental painting workshops in new york city at around the time of this painting, and one of his students was jackson pollock.
i seem to work in a similar way, having in my mind the essence of the subject, and the materials & techniques to realise it, but the conclusion of the work is arrived at through the engagement with process. i like to discover or unearth small incidents along the way – but i erase things too. the lower left of lichenscape was later blocked out, but some texture still shows through when light hits the surface. i should like to tackle this subject again (from mould, decay, lichen), to take it forward into more ambitious, larger scale works (but i would need some money and a much larger studio to pursue this). it is a subject immersed in the material elements of the environment, but like appearance and meaning in art, the narrative is subjective, generative and varied. sadly, lichenscape II (a more muted, stony grey painting) did not survive my long-term ‘critical eye’ judgement and it now resides in a tray in sixteen very ragged pieces… perhaps something new will materialise out of this act of destruction.
lichenscape I, 2010, mixed media on canvas, 95cm x 95cm
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are there any questions..?
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lichenscape I is currently on show at the Harleston Gallery norfolk, from 18 June to 11 July 2011
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current exhibitions
Reunion Refresh @ Reunion Gallery, 5 Feb – 22 Oct 2011
HWAT exhibition 2011 @ Harleston Gallery, 18 June to 11 July 2011
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