Abstract botanical shapes hover over the canvas surfaces in Beth Kennedy’s third solo exhibition with Anthea Polson Art. She tells that this latest body of work references the old Welsh proverb dod yn ôl at fy nghoed translated as ‘return to my trees’. The phrase means a coming back to a place of regeneration and calm that can be experienced amidst nature’s wild domains. Kennedy came across the expression when reading the book, The House That Joy Built by Australian author Holly Ringland. Among other things the book explores owning one’s own creativity, a concept that coincided with a time of artistic and personal growth in Kennedy’s life. It reignited experimentation in her art and greater abstraction of forms.
The paintings convey a mood of optimism in their celebration of the colour and shapes ensconced in the nuances of nature’s wild beauty. Traditional concepts of perspective and light are in flux and time is held in a floating serenity of intricate, harmonious designs.
“My art works are a labour of love,” Kennedy informs. “Colour and composition are very important but so is the element of play and having fun, as well as letting the works embrace ‘happy accidents’. My painting process begins with a drawing of loose organic shapes onto the canvas. I then splash washes of translucent colour across it. Once this is dry, I pick out shapes and patterns to paint with opaque layers of acrylic media and gouache. Oil sticks provide colourful wobbly stripes and black ink, spidery linear flourishes.”
The viewer is ushered into a realm of soft-hued quietude. We ‘return to our trees’ and the wildflower world that elevates us beyond everyday circumstances and concerns.
JACQUELINE HOUGHTON
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