In my work, I am interested in psychological drama. Figures and animals,nature or interiors are all general concepts that bear aspects of the psyche, and contain forces that shape the individual.
Symbolic imagery is derived from multiple sources including photos sourced from the Internet or from the family collection. Through a breaking down of representational space, the image begins to work as a stain or blot, onto which a story can be projected. Paintings appear shifting and unstable because the material dealt with is essentially unconscious and archetypal.
Painting mirrors this process. The disintegration of physical space allows the use of unclarified or disruptive zones, and ambiguous shadows. The language of paint is kept diverse to allow for different kinds of looking, and creates a fluid space that bears ‘not knowing’. There is a shift between form and dissolution, between the visceral materiality of paint and representation. It provides an autonomous space on which feelings and ideas can open up: the painting is now approached as a question.
Irene Wellm
April 2011
All enquiries welcome: Tel: (03) 9417 2828 Email: enquiries@catherineasquithgallery.com.