| |
 |
Robyn Burgess
Skating On Thin Ice
June 15 – July 2, 2006
|
"This body of work investigates travel, through the process of painting. Travel and journeys are the midwives of thought – of memories, longings, nostalgia, introspective and original ideas. Aspects of leaving and homing, of wandering and belonging are tested in this work. Travel becomes a metaphor worthy of deeper analysis. Drawing is critical to these works and the diaries of work kept whilst travelling define ideas and have allowed reality, imagination and memory to coalesce and find its place in the studio, in another time.
These are not images of our climate or land; they reek of the winters of Russia and Northern Europe, Canada and Colorado. Some of the ideas and memories embodied within the work are linked to the seasons rather than specific dates. The author Bryce Courtenay, in reference to his writing said that if you are going to skate on thin ice, you may as well tap dance; this admission of fear and cunning parallels my attitude to painting, and the work in this
exhibition." Robyn Burgess, 2006
Preferring to travel alone and in the harsh winter climates, Robyn contemplates history, the heritage of memories and the fears and aspirations of humanity. Architecture, cities and the strange feelings of longing and displacement that solo travel provokes, have long been the preoccupations of her paintings and drawings.
At a time when so much conceptual art, video-art and installations fill contemporary galleries, Burgess remains a staunch proponent of the craft of painting - she considers her paintings
"archival" objects, and builds them to last. Although they appear monochromatic,
Burgess' paintings always begin with a strong colour, usually a layer of red, she says.
"The backdrop is never black and never white, I always come backwards through colour, to the
end." Robyn Burgess, 2006
The snow-coated, layered landscapes are echoed in the sprayed, flicked and drizzled surfaces of the paintings, which form curtains of paint, concealing and revealing other layers beneath. Materials and image combine and separate as embedded visual cues surface. It’s a strategy Burgess also employs in the works on paper where shapes and words emerge through a screen of white spray, powdered charcoal and ink. Dr Lisa Beaven, catalogue essay, 2006
The 'elk' is captured in this series of paintings, an elusive and serene animal. The beauty and nostalgia associated with these images is deliberately interrupted by the fierce application of oil paint.
"Whilst the layers of the paintings are worked on for months, the final image is dealt with swiftly and
fearlessly." Robyn Burgess, 2006
Burgess lectures at La Trobe University, Bendigo, and is represented in numerous public and private collections through out Australia and overseas. |
Further Information/Previews of the work:
Helen Gory
03 95252808 0413123705
[email protected]
www.helengory.com
wed - sat 11am/6pm |
|
|