Sunday, November 21, 2010

Lesley Vance

Untitled (41), 2010
oil on linen
27.9 x 22.9 cm

I came across Lesley Vance's work a while ago. They are moody dark, velvety abstract compositions. Veils of paint are densely layered and appear to be applied in a variety of ways. They remind me of Caravaggio doing abstraction.

In her own words: My paintings originate from still lives of natural forms composed in the studio: I put together an arrangement of objects from my collection in a box where I control lighting by cutting openings for light to shine through. I'll paint this image, and once it reaches a certain point of resolution, the composition begins to evolve and I'm no longer looking at the source material. From there the the surface becomes a malleable space as the objects dissolve into pure form, although traces of the original image frequently remain in the finished work....

read more here about Vance's intelligent and intriguing process as well as her varied influences.

I love the process Vance uses and the results are gorgeous jewel-like paintings.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Many people have been suggesting that I use a black or dark background in my own work. It is very interesting to see how the mood changes. As always, thanks for the wonderful posts.

undercover painter said...

Ahh..yes, the old chestnut: "what people suggest I do" Careful! Your works have a freshness that perhaps darker tones and colours would destroy. I don't know - that's my gut reaction. Thanks for reading, Mary.

david weir art said...

Nice depth

Anonymous said...

Thanks undercover painter. I had that sense too but, as usual I tend trust others first and not my own gut. Does anyone else have this problem? :) Keep posting!

vincenthawkins said...

looks like three dimensions caught in a frame or fixed in glass . Very interesting post. Rich and deep colours

Gabrielle Jones said...

Love the "Caravaggio doing abstract" comment! (Wish I'd though of that) and I reckon that's right, he would have been an abstractionist if he were alive today!

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