My approach to painting is a process of layering papers and paint to create a rich textural and seductively coloured surface. I enjoy the tactile quality of the collage and mixed media technique and with an intuitive approach to my work a form emerges which satisfies me.
The theme of Vessels is inexhaustible with connotations of ritual, ceremonial, symbolic, sensual or spiritual elements. Vessels can stand alone or be grouped with others. They can be full or empty, whole or broken, plain or decorated, designed for utilitarian purposes or purely for aesthetic appeal.
Despite these various purposes and possibilities vessels suggest a sense of stability in the familiarity that we have with them. Simple primitive vessels often refer to domesticity and daily rituals while ornately decorated vessels of gold or fine porcelain imply abundance, opulence, ceremony and occasion. There is a strong connectedness with human existence and purpose in life. Even the human form itself metaphorically conveys the notion of a vessel.
This body of work is a continuation of the vessels theme from a former series I completed entitled Incense-filled Vessels. In that series I was focusing on the vessel used for the purpose of worship. There are many references to vessels in the Judeo-Christian scriptures and also other religious traditions.
For example a woman in the New Testament broke an alabaster jar of expensive perfume to anoint the feet of Jesus. She was criticized by those who observed this extravagance but she was commended by Christ for this sacrificial expression of love. In the book of Revelation there is reference to “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” and this became the catalyst for a series of golden bowls.
In this current work I see primitive vessel shapes as providing a vehicle for considering figure and ground, line and texture, substance and atmosphere, assertion and reticence rather than expressing an ideology or a particular message. Sometimes the vessel floats alone suggesting isolation (which is the experience of the artist’s working environment) while in other paintings vessels are connected or overlap.
My hope is that this body of work will resonate with you, the viewer, as you bring your personal experiences to it and take from the work something that engages or connects with you. If this happens then the work has succeeded in accomplishing its purpose.
For more information on Cynthia and her work, please contact Gallery de Boer – Fine Art & Jazz. E-mail: info@gallerydeboer.ca, Tel: (519)-376-7914
