2020 . reflecting images . artist notes . jessica cooper . belgrave gallery
2020 reflecting images belgrave gallery
artist notes jessica cooper
The paintings in this exhibition are informed by three specific places and periods of time . A number of the works are executed on canvas – a support and surface with which I am familiar – representing safety , in a certain sense . The others employ wood panels – something of a voyage into the unknown – leading to experimentation and the highlighting of a certain abstraction in the work . These latter works are left unframed , imbuing them with a sense of freedom , breathing space and a lack of restriction . These important qualities are echoed thematically in the subject matter of some of the paintings .
The abstracted trapezoid shape that appears in a number of works originates in a section of a bridge / walkway leading to a beach on the Los Angeles coast . Like the bridge , the shape represents a link , and can thus be found reappearing in paintings regardless of the particular subject . Other objects or shapes in the works have become more isolated , in one sense , or perhaps connected by the space between them , in another . My usual colour palette has shifted to become more limited and muted , with subtle tones and the exploration of different shades , in particular yellows , pinks and browns , which are broadly new to me .
Using drawings , photographs and memories , these works have taken a longer time to execute than formerly , using thought , reflection and the re-reading of contemporaneous notes to take myself back to specific times and places , and then using the resulting feelings to create a new sense of purpose and calmness in the work , perhaps an authority , even .