From misty wetlands to moonlit seascapes, the imagery is tied together with a sense of searching and an equal sense of awe. The built-up pigments of Kathy Dumesnil’s marshy landscapes mimic the undulating rhythm of the terrain. The soil ebbs and flows as the water does, anchored yet with a slow moving malleability. The hazy line where these things meet is again played with in Elizabeth Simon’s abstract “Earth Meet Sky” series. A true sense of calm is captured in that nebulous line. Where in these works the layers are built up, the layers in Faye Earnest’s works seem to have been carved away as quickly as they are made in. The organic movements in her depictions of the earth’s core and aerial views of the coast are captured with gentle force and the tide seems to be represented both in process and final image. The lush stillness of Lee Morais’ seascapes is held together by the light of the moon in each piece. A golden boat rocks gently in the foreground, inviting the viewer to be part of some great journey to serenity.
Aline Cross’s sea creatures, inspired by the Oceanic and Folk art of her native Australia, seem to express that same serenity, but with a hint of mysticism. Both preserving personal memory and cultural identity for the artist, these creatures seem to glide through the work, constantly moving, but sure of their place on a grander scale. Capturing both sea, swamp, and the place in between, the lens is focused more tightly in Pippin Frisbie-Calder’s phytoplankton prints and sculptures. While the approach is scientific (Frisbie-Calder partnered with local aquatic microbiologist Dr. Tim McLean to collect samples to make the images from) the final product appears more in the realm of magical realism. These microscopic organisms produce nearly half of the earth’s oxygen and Frisbie-Calder’s prints seem to revel in how truly wondrous that is.
This collection of work is an ode to the idea that preservation, whether that of a sensation or a receding coast, needs to be carefully constructed no matter the path it takes. |
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