ROUND OBJECTS + UK NEWS

She was not made out of his head to surpass him, nor from his feet to be trampled on, but from his side to be equal to him, and near his heart to be dear to him. [Jamieson-Fausset Brown Bible  Commentary] Oil on linen 80 x 120 cm 2009

Previous post HERE
 

ROUND OBJECTS + UK NEWS 

 

I know...the painting above does not have any round balls. However, it does have some NEWS from the UK.

 

She was not made out of his head to surpass him, nor from his feet to be trampled on, but from his side to be equal to him, and near his heart to be dear to him. [Jamieson-Fausset Brown Bible  Commentary] was the feature image on the front of UK's The Independent [March 7 2015] International Women's Day supplement.

 

Needless to say I am thrilled with the exposure. Also, thrilled because the opportunity came out-of-the-blue. LOVE! LOVE! out-of-the-blue opportunities!

 

And, I am thrilled that my painting was seen as a meaningful addition to International Women's Day 2015.

The painting is from a series of works themed to the Adam and Eve story. You can see more of them at Adam and Eve-and THAT Tree


Now to round balls.

Objects Oil on linen 85 x 147 cm

 

In my last post Objects I discuss the seemingly endless things the round balls in the painting Objects [above] could be. These range from the tangible to the not-so tangible.

I also discuss the painting in reference to the relatively new theory Object Oriented Ontology...OOO. I have links to info about OOO in the Objects post.

Regular readers may realise that I often use round balls in my paintings.

So, here's a mini online exhibition of some of these paintings for you.

Cosmic Landscape Gouache on paper 21 x 29.7

Cosmic Landscape is a new work on paper. I am playing with landscape...and regular readers know I like to do this. The round balls could be planets or moons. They could be human-made probes. Maybe alien spaceships? Unlike in Objects the balls are oriented within a landscape that is clearly identifiable as one. Yet, they appear to be floating thus giving a 3d appearance. Without the balls the landscape 'speaks' for itself. The balls, however, disrupt the landscape suggesting alternative narratives and possibilities. Maybe the balls are symbolic of these possibilities?

And...mentioning 3d...many of my paintings do 'go' 3d when viewed with 3d glasses. Here's a previous post where I 'discuss' 3d!

Landscape Of Everything Oil on linen 80 x 140 cm 2012

I wrote in my previous post for Landscape Of Everything [above]

When I was painting this image I had many many different thoughts going through my head, cascading in and out, provoking panic, excitement, fear, wariness, joy and more. There were so many thoughts that when I came to give the painting a title, nothing seemed adequate, until I came up with Landscape of Everything.

 

I go onto to write about all my thoughts...and you can read about them HERE. Maybe the balls are symbolic of the various thoughts I had when painting it?

 

Yet, even though the title has the word 'landscape' in it...there is no identifiable landscape. But, regular readers will know I am teasing out the possibilities of landscape across scale, dimension and time. Yes...untethering landscape from Earth-bound horizons!

 

This is a favourite painting of mine. Really happy with it...hurrah to the fellow who bought it!

 

 

Are We There Yet? Oil on linen 80 x 140 cm 2013

 

 



And, here are some blue balls! They seem to suggest a trajectory, as if a balloon has been let go. As in Cosmic Landscape there is an identifiable landscape, yet an ambiguous and unusual one. The title Are We There Yet? plays on that question children often incessantly ask on long trips...well they did when I was a kid and when my children were younger. Now though, I suspect portable and imbedded entertainment devices might distract children from noticing time. You can read more about this painting HERE

Multiple Choice Oil on linen 100 x 70 cm 2015

And...that brings me to another new painting featuring coloured balls...Multiple Choice

The title says it all really...don't you think?

Cheers,
Kathryn
www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com

BRIDE IN THE LANDSCAPE - ONLINE EXHIBITION

Living With Distance Diptych 120 x 160 cm

Over the last week I have been posting some older paintings on Instagram . I've also posted some to Facebook. These paintings are from my early 2000s bride-in-the-landscape series. And, something strange and pleasing has happened...people are responding to them in slightly different ways to responses I received 13 or so years ago. Did people like them years ago? Yes, but not quite in the same way.

BRIDE-IN-THE-LANDSCAPE
The painting above Living With Distance reminded me of some of the weather maps/images we Australians have recently been viewing with great interest. Cyclone Marcia hit the coast of Queensland, at Yeppoon, last week, causing great destruction. The accompanying heavy rains have caused flooding across the central and inland coast. Interestingly, when I uploaded this painting to Facebook and Instagram, I had one person comment that it looked like a weather image. This person is from California! I was thrilled that someone had picked up on what I also had seen in my own work.

When I painted Living With Distance I was thinking about the young brides who follow their rural-based husbands into the distance of geographical isolation. However, I was also 'playing' with the idea of distance within a relationship.

Assimilation Oil on linen 80 x 100 cm

 

Assimilation is also reminiscent of a weather map/image. The bride's form seems to becomes the indicator of water flow or cloud cover! When I painted this I was thinking about the country bride who becomes absorbed by the land. Her life depends on the ebbs and flows of the landscape...AND the weather. She also becomes part of a community where women are a force of spirit and involvement in everything from the arts, education, welfare, health and well being.

 

 

Flying Oil on linen 80 x 120 cm

 

 

 

Memory Oil on linen 80 x 100 cm

Previous posts The Moon and Memory

 

 

FLYING

The four paintings above all have a hovering or flying theme! The bride and her spirit watch from above, yet she is intrinsic to the patterns and rhythms of the land. In Flying the bride is like a cloud. Her shadow is cast across the landscape which she is a part of, but also separate from. Her presence has influence. It's as if she is a custodian or symbolic of Mother Nature looking after her Earth.

 

In Memory the bride and her young self as a child hover over a landscape that is cosmic in appearance. Maybe this is one of my early cosmic paintings...and I was not even aware of it until NOW! The phases of the moon symbolise the passing of time. The bride reflects upon the dreams she had as a child. Or, maybe the child is projecting into the future?

 

 

Life Oil on linen 80 x 200 cm

 

Life visualises the milestones of a girl's life. Birth, childhood, education, marriage, pregnancy and motherhood, death! This painting is a bit DARK methinks! I'll let you think upon that for a bit!

A DECADE ALONG
So, why are my bride-in-the-landscape paintings resonating with people in a slightly different way to ten or more years ago? There could be a number of reasons. A lot can happen in a decade. Here are some considerations, off the top of my head.

• With the deluge of imagery on the internet and social media available today, maybe we are generally more aware of patterns across such things as weather maps and bride-in-the-landscape paintings?!
• We currently have a heightened awareness of domestic violence, and whilst my paintings are not about domestic violence, the vulnerability of the bride symbol does affect people, even subliminally.
• We also have heightened discussion about same sex marriage. The idea of marriage is being re-negotiated, albeit slowly, on social, religious, political and economic fronts.
• I have daughters and I am aware that young women today are balancing many considerations against those that could be considered more traditional dreams, such as marriage and children. I am also aware that young men are taking part in these discussions. The latter is probably the thing that seems so different to when I got married, for instance!
• Due to the internet, non-stop news, social media etc there is more awareness of the status of women in other cultures. These include traditions of marriage. And, some of these shock us.
• And another possibility at a subliminal level. Maybe the vulnerability of Earth's sustainability seems more fragile when a bride's presence evokes purity and the call to Mother Nature?

The paintings above are only a selection of my bride series of work.

With International Women's Day next week, I will post some more of my bride paintings. Also, I have some exciting news about a painting and a UK publication! Shall keep you informed.



TESTIMONIES
My Mum's exhibition Testimonies is up! Here are the details.

My Mum, Elsie Brimblecombe, has been exhibiting her paintings for a few years now. She is inspired by the written word. Each of her exhibitions has been themed to a particular writer and book/poems.

This year's exhibition is a series of paintings inspired by the modern Greek poet Yannis Ritsos . The two paintings below will be in Elsie's exhibition.

 

Place: Upfront Club - 31 Maple St, Maleny, Queensland, Australia.

Dates: 20 February - 18 March 2015

Please check the Upfront Club for opening times - they open from 7.30 am 7 days - you can have breakfast, lunch, dinner, morning and afternoon tea there, but just check what days they open till late etc. They also have live gigs there, so you could combine seeing some art and listening to music!

 

Cheers,

Kathryn

www.kathrynbrimblecombe-fox.com