Craig Barber For sales, commissions and to send comments to the artist click here |
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Artist Statement My paintings are symptoms
of history. I delve into pre-existing historical mechanisms and methods
of my own choosing. An example of this is the use of the grid. Although
I have no responsibilities to these methods in terms of etiquette, it
is necessary to have a fertile understanding of them so that they may
be exploited and not used to hinder the work. The image is in operational and temporal stasis.
The source is a photograph and during the painting process some areas
of the image are under-worked in relation to others. This is a compositional
tool and a method for highlighting the temporality and construct of the
image. Melancholy is instilled in the images. This
melancholy and the temporal aspects of the canvas compliment each other
to influence the pace of the image. The viewer is invited to be pensive,
but light hearted elements allow humour to play a role and
interrupt this pensive attitude. Abstract elements float on the image. These
create a spatial ambiguity that provides pictorial tension. Strips of un-worked canvas and the painting
of borders around the image create a double take between the edge of the
image and the edge of the canvas. The image occupies the canvas rather
than filling it. |
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