Spill & Punctum

 

When looking for delicacy and detail i go to the works of Kristy Gorman, where she created a series of hole punched works looking at structure and biomorphic forms how they can co - exist at one time either butted up together or overlapping each other, creating a translucency in the figure field.

"In 'Punctum', Gorman again uses light and shade to give layer and depth to her work. The viewer is required to bring the same intimate and intense gaze to the paintings, though this time, we see the shadows play above the layered painted surface. The closer we look, the more we see that the small black dots are indeed punched holes or 'Punctum' which act as dark outlines resting above the subtly layered muted hues. Again, the shapes echo a flower, a leaf, or some kind of topographical patter constantly changing the more we look. We reminisce. We might be reminded of embossed velvet, where the background has been painted with an invisible hand to resemble the lining of a beautiful coat or an old tablecloth.

Gorman's works are the antithesis of our bright 'mall- filled world', where we greedily snatch and grab at everything that is shiny and lurid. Instead Kristy Gorman encourages us to simply mediate, so that through her works we can view ourselves more closely." Retrieved from the Jonathon Smart Gallery: http://www.jonathansmartgallery.com/content/view/83/38 

I see Gorman's work as constantly morphing the figure field, by puncturing tiny holes across the page the light catches of the curves of the holes creating shadow and depth, when the viewer engages and moves around the work the shadow moves with you.

In the article 'Shadow Work' written by Claire Regnault she describes Gorman's work as " Painting forewards then backwards, erasing individual marks and entire layers through the process of addition and subtraction only to begin again"

I find this quote useful to think about when attempting to cover the mistakes and shadow the failures, because this is a process I am inclined to do in some of my works. When the form and colour does not seem right i start over, but to my surprise the past is always still present even if you tryed to smoother it in gesso, the hint of the red or blue still shadows through and I think this is important to embrace as it create an interesting push/ pull of foreground and background as depth and presence become interchangeable.  

Quotes from the essay on Gorman's exhibition written by Anna Smith, she states that Gorman's work presents - "Shadows that make visible what seems invisible. The eyes strain myopically"

"Gorman's vision is to allow us to acknowledge our own blind - spots: our unwillingness to looks, eyes open and our confusion at what we see when we do begin to remain in attendance, in front of the work, waiting for meaning to appear"