PATTERN/LOSS

This exploration into pattern and loss gradually came into being during my first year of moving to Seville in Andalusia, Spain.

I experienced a very strong connection with the pattern ceramic tiles found on walls throughout the city of Seville, as well as in Andalusia and Portugal. These tile designs recall the rich history of Andalusia that includes the Islamic presence from the time the Moors ruled parts of Spain, as well as later influences from the Italian Renaissance. It is not so much the patterns on these tiles that I find interesting, but the way time has worn down the repetitive, predictable rhythm of the pattern through chips in the tiles, fading imagery, missing pieces and cracks. These breaks in the outer layer or decoration of buildings, lay bare the naked bones and create a sense of instability and fragility.

In this line of investigation, I look into the relationships between the ruin, memory, body, and painting; through dripping paint, contrasting saturated and bright colours, the paintings draw parallels between canvas and skin, architecture and body. Decorative patterns become like open wounds, or imply movement like being blown around in the wind, or being washed away. The patterns become organic, and the initial traces of the artmaking process like pencil lines and thin washes, or exposed canvas, bring across ideas of process and time.

These paintings are not polished, completed works. Through their presentation and use of paint, they seem to be in flux, in a constant state of transformation. And in a way, refers to the vanitas in their references to loss, fragility and mortality.