Starting with a Portrait

Selina Foote interests me as she creates transparency with opaque in a way that creates a paradox. I picked this article up from eyecontact of an exhibition she had at the Sue Crockford Gallery. Critic-ed by John Hurrell 22 February, 2012.

Foote's linked polygons (as shown above) usually render in ochre or oxide colours, Their plastic like silk exploits the shadows cast on the wall behind the paint and the wood grain of the stretchers, while the softness of the faint gray brown silk makes the configurations seems like hunched over figures or loosely tied knots. Some hybrids exist as well, where the flickering triangles are clear so that the wall is visible behind them, and the opacity and translucency are juxtaposed.

I am interested in Foote's idea to create translucency and shadow, this is a different way of layering in terms of my work but it creates a sense of depth ans illusion, the painting almost hovers in front of the picture strainer focusing your eye upon the flatness of line and shape, that appear as 3.D.

Foote's work involves a demanding process, each having set rules and chosen visage , repeating key colours in order to create what looks like an exploded or magnified view of something bigger.  Her love for geometric abstraction interests me as I too am trying to incorporate this,  the forms are irregular implying they are edging towards a more fluid, organic structure, but the lines begin to inform you it is not a surface of simplicity, it is hard edged geometric structure. The push and pull of organic and geometric co - existing is also of interest to me.