Stringing Beads
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The first thing to be said about Lyn Harrison's exhibition Stringing Beads, is that she is a poet; or rather, a visual poet whose paintings work on many different levels.
In this show she has recorded certain condensed memories that shimmer and stand out against the time- line of the past. Sometimes these memories are evoked by a certain object - such as her father's bow -tie, sometimes they emerge from a dream, other times they are remnants of childhood encounters. Each painting is a small drama, gemlike in colour, lively in incident, inviting the viewer to enter the dream to complete the story.
There was an Enormous Cat; this painting relates to a moment in childhood, which looking back, is both humorous and terrifying. Lyn recalls that her mother sent her to the bread shop in order to pick up a birthday cake. A fairly straightforward assignment, except for the fact that on the doorstep of the shop was a cat of unprecedented size and ferocity blocking the way. People are watching. The child is in a quandary. There is nothing to be done; she turns around and returns home without the cake. Her mother tells her to stop imagining things and sends her back to the shop. This time to her relief, the cat has disappeared.
Other memories are less fraught, such as Morning Sunflowers with Dogs or Always Keep a Diamond in Your Mind. In others there is a delight in familiar objects, a sense of homecoming and belonging.
The paintings, like good poems require attention in order to allow the meanings to unfold. They can be enjoyed on the level of sheer visual spectacle or they can take you deeper into the strange nature of memory and what our past really represents
You are invited to join the artist for drinks on Saturday February 22 at 2-4pm for the opening by gallery director Robyn Nolan.
Exhibition hours 11am-5pm Thursday-Sunday
until March 8
56a Lovel Street Katoomba NSW 2780
t: 0247826231
e: art@nolgallery.com.au
w:nolanonlovelgallery.com.au
The first thing to be said about Lyn Harrison's exhibition Stringing Beads, is that she is a poet; or rather, a visual poet whose paintings work on many different levels.
In this show she has recorded certain condensed memories that shimmer and stand out against the time- line of the past. Sometimes these memories are evoked by a certain object - such as her father's bow -tie, sometimes they emerge from a dream, other times they are remnants of childhood encounters. Each painting is a small drama, gemlike in colour, lively in incident, inviting the viewer to enter the dream to complete the story.
There was an Enormous Cat; this painting relates to a moment in childhood, which looking back, is both humorous and terrifying. Lyn recalls that her mother sent her to the bread shop in order to pick up a birthday cake. A fairly straightforward assignment, except for the fact that on the doorstep of the shop was a cat of unprecedented size and ferocity blocking the way. People are watching. The child is in a quandary. There is nothing to be done; she turns around and returns home without the cake. Her mother tells her to stop imagining things and sends her back to the shop. This time to her relief, the cat has disappeared.
Other memories are less fraught, such as Morning Sunflowers with Dogs or Always Keep a Diamond in Your Mind. In others there is a delight in familiar objects, a sense of homecoming and belonging.
The paintings, like good poems require attention in order to allow the meanings to unfold. They can be enjoyed on the level of sheer visual spectacle or they can take you deeper into the strange nature of memory and what our past really represents
You are invited to join the artist for drinks on Saturday February 22 at 2-4pm for the opening by gallery director Robyn Nolan.
Exhibition hours 11am-5pm Thursday-Sunday
until March 8
56a Lovel Street Katoomba NSW 2780
t: 0247826231
e: art@nolgallery.com.au
w:nolanonlovelgallery.com.au
