Gains and Losses

Gains and Losses, 2006

Sometimes I create work that is a departure from what has gone before it. I never stop to question if I should pursue these ideas because I've learned to trust my instincts. It's also important to recognize what these departures mean in the context of your larger body of work. Gains and Losses represents a number of firsts for me in terms of technique and content considerations.

Technique

stenciling
obvious layering
utilizing floating patterning
forays into image transfers
use of elaborately printed papers and gold paint
change in colour scheme to rich browns and golds.

I had just returned from a long holiday in Italy and was influenced by everything I had seen. The colours of Italy remain with me even now and they obviously had an impact on the overall look and feel of this piece.

Inspiration

Italy
lavish gardens,
churches and art museums,
brocades, gilt, velvet, Venetian glass
ochres, rich browns, gold, copper and brass
history nodding to you at every twist and turn
producing a deep sense of how the world came to be
wondering how my world fits with this older, more exotic one.

In 2006 I was reading widely about the history of floral imagery in art, beauty and the passage of time. All have impacted this work. I chose to use split images to physically represent the passage of time . The left is much more focused and vivid than the right. I was going for lushness and that eventual slide into decay, again a reflection of the passage of time. The figure represents a time in the lives of women when independence and choice where almost non-existent. This was a lady of means who could afford to primp and beautify to please . Fresh flowers adorned her dress creating parallel representations of beauty caught at one moment in time but neither can defy the inevitable toll that time takes.

Content

figure
observing me through history
calling attention to fleeting beauty
questioning efforts to control the passage of time
wondering what women have gained and lost in the pursuit of beauty

And what does all this have to do with pattern and decoration you might ask?
The patterning and decoration help me establish a point in time and build a suitable environment in which to pose my visual questions.