'Emergence' is a series of abstract works created with soil. The soil is locally sourced dried, ground, and mulled with linseed oil to form the oil paint. The works are both an abstract image and a representation of a specific place and time.
The images are created through an interaction between the soil, myself, and a transparent layer of Tule, or more recently Polyethylene crop netting. The image 'emerges' through basic subdivisions of the frame and references the alchemy of transforming soil into food, clays, metals or even art.
The transparent layer was intended to draw attention to the soil pigment, while the play of light and shadow lifts and accentuates the texture and richness of the soil. However it also lends a material honesty that gives the paintings a sculptural appearance and resists their reduction to digital images. This highlights the materials used and hopefully brings their material histories, association and metaphors into play.
Brown has held spiritual significance for many famous artists throughout history. For Mark Rothko, brown represented the earth and the human condition. Brown also held significance for the American artist Agnes Martin, who saw it as a symbol of humility, simplicity, and a connection to the earth. For Martin, brown represented the grounding and centering of the human spirit. The work is ready to hang unframed, but would benefit from direct lighting to create a shadow on the wall behind.
The images are created through an interaction between the soil, myself, and a transparent layer of Tule, or more recently Polyethylene crop netting. The image 'emerges' through basic subdivisions of the frame and references the alchemy of transforming soil into food, clays, metals or even art.
The transparent layer was intended to draw attention to the soil pigment, while the play of light and shadow lifts and accentuates the texture and richness of the soil. However it also lends a material honesty that gives the paintings a sculptural appearance and resists their reduction to digital images. This highlights the materials used and hopefully brings their material histories, association and metaphors into play.
Brown has held spiritual significance for many famous artists throughout history. For Mark Rothko, brown represented the earth and the human condition. Brown also held significance for the American artist Agnes Martin, who saw it as a symbol of humility, simplicity, and a connection to the earth. For Martin, brown represented the grounding and centering of the human spirit. The work is ready to hang unframed, but would benefit from direct lighting to create a shadow on the wall behind.
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