|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
   
|
| |
    
|
|
|
|
|
|
Light
and Reality (2002)
Prison
Series
(2000)
Negative Space, Light
Patterns and Shadows
(1999)
|
|
|
Light
and Reality
(2002)
|
|
|
I am interested in ideas about reality what is real? What is not real?
In a painting, a shadow or light pattern is as
tangible as a wall; they
exist on an equal reality plane. In addition,
perspective can be
altered so as to make the viewer see things in a
certain way. Angles
can be sharpened, colours heightened, objects
simplified. In this
way, the artist shapes what the viewer perceives.
Much of my work incorporates straight lines and
hard edges and all of
it involves painstaking drawing and numerous
colour sketches. There
is, because of this, a definite element of
control in my work.
However, there is a paradox, as the subject
matter is light, which is
ephemeral, uncontrollable and free.
In all of my paintings, there is a strong light
coming from somewhere,
hitting something, casting a shadow or a light
pattern. Each painting
is, in a sense, a homage to light itself
light, the source of life, the
creator of energy and colour. Its sublime warmth
hits us from time to
time, coming in, uninvited, through doors,
windows, cracks, giving
us for a moment its transcendent beauty, then
fading away a couple
of moments later, into darkness.
What I hope to capture is that moment of light,
before it slips away,
and abstract it into planes, colours, converging
lines. In this way, it
is somehow distilled, giving the viewer a chance
to reflect upon its
essence. Quite simply, I am moved by light and I
hope to move
others by it.
Katherine Lubar, 2002
|
|
|
ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
|
|
|
Prison
Series
(2000)
|
|
|
In
the past year, I have become increasingly drawn to images of
prisons in my subject matter.
Initially, this was due to their
appearance - the repetition of
bars and the shadows of bars create
amazing patterns which can be
emphasized using flat colour and a
rushing perspective. The bars
create structure as well as a
sense of differing spaces
within the same area.
On a more philosophical level, the prisons are not real prisons,
but prisons of our mind. None
of us are totally free, as we live in
a society with many rules and
constraints. These rules and
constraints have become a part
of us we no longer see them as
things outside of ourselves.
Much of what we think has been
dictated to us by the world
around us parents, school, TV,
magazines, movies, etc. If we
like or approve of something, a
lot of this has to do with the
fact that society likes and approves
of it. It is very difficult,
maybe impossible, to know what is from
us and what has been
subconsciously dictated to us by society.
Perhaps there is no us
(or I) at all.
I am also interested in issues
of control. We are all controlled to a
greater or lesser extent by the
world around us and for those who
are in prison, this is merely
made more obvious. Not that I am
trivialising the horrors that
go on in prison, but there, people
realise they are being
controlled; that is the whole point. Out in
the free world, we are
controlled every day of our lives, often
by our own subconscious fears,
yet we do not usually realise this
or admit to it. These prison
paintings can be looked at as
reflections of what goes on in our minds.
The traps we set for
ourselves and the obstacles that we may or may
not overcome.
The endless corridors with no exit. The locked gates
without keys.
However, the light which is present in each
painting can be seen
as an element of hope and freedom. It is a way out.
This light is
the key to unlocking our souls.
Katherine Lubar, 2000
|
|
|
ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
|
|
|
Negative
Space, Light
Patterns and Shadows
(1999)
|
|
|
In
these works, I seek to explore the different methods of visual
perception which exist just beneath the surface of our common
visual
reality.
I look at reflections, shadows, light patterns and negative space,
which are all a part of our everyday visual experience, yet remain
for the
most part, ignored.
I choose to focus on these entities as my subject matter, making
them the main characters in their own stories. Obviously they
are
fictionalized to some extent, as no shadow is really that
sharply defined and no negative space so playfully coloured.
However, by
exaggerating their details, I hope to show how
beautifully striking
these marvels of nature can be, if one
only takes time to look at them.
To me, negative space, light patterns and shadows are just as
important
as the physical space they inhabit. If we are looking
around us, our
eyes cannot feel the difference between what
is physical and what is
intangible. It is only because we have
been trained all our lives to
know
that we can put our hand
through
a shadow but not a wall that we
ascribe
a certain
importance
to the wall and not the shadow. In a
painting,
a shadow has the same tangibility as a wall, no matter how
dexterously an
artist creates an illusion with paint. Shadows
and walls
are made of
the
same substance.
As to how these subjects are portrayed, I have become
more
and more
interested in their formal elements, such
as their geometrical shapes and
patterns. I have also become
increasingly interested in colour and
have
shifted completely
away from naturalistic colour towards very
bright,
unnatural
colours. In most of the paintings, especially the more
recent
ones, I have used colour as a means of expressing light.
However,
each painting is completely different in its own
right, with its own
ideas and
type of abstraction.
I hope that some of the intentions I have expressed here have
been achieved in these works.
Katherine Lubar, 1999
|
|
|
|
