Seeing Beyond the Immediate (Patricia Cain)
As a class, we visited Scot Gallery, in Hawick's Wilton Lodge to see an exhibition entitled 'Seeing Beyond the Immediate' by Patricia Cain. I'm ashamed to admit this, but I am not someone who has come from an 'arty' background, and my interest in art has grown from my own desire to create art. As such, this was honestly probably my first visit to an art exhibition that I really took seriously. For the first time I tried my best to understand what was being shown to me.
We entered the exhibition as a large group. This may not have been the ideal situation for viewing the gallery. As I've been led to understand, an exhibition is much like a soundtrack or music album. It's designed to be listened or viewed in a particular order, to tell a certain story. However, because there was so many of us, I ended up viewing the gallery in an anti-clockwise manner. This may not seem like anything worth mentioning, but honestly, I was aware of this when I was there. It definitely affected how I viewed the art. I went through the exhibit a second time, this time the correct way, and I understood a lot more from the way everything was set up.
The first thing we encountered was at the centre of the room. The focal point. Whilst most of the items on display were flat images, this one was an installation. Two mirror like panes of glass with markings on them designed to represent tree branches and trunks. The mirrors, facing each other, then reflect endlessly the markings, giving the impression of a deep forest. I actually really liked the idea behind it. It seemed to take a really simple idea and turn it into a complex image.
This was the first piece I really felt drawn too. Done using pastels, this image appears as four separate abstract images. It's only when they are put together does the overall image become clear. So detailed is this image that from a distance, it almost looks photo realistic. George's Walk was an important piece for me, as it gave new context to a lot of Cain's other abstract work. When I understood they were organic constructs, and even possible exerts of something greater, it really gave me a whole new understanding to her work.
Forest I was one of the first abstract images I saw that I can honestly say I enjoyed. Abstract as a concept is something I'm new too, and honestly, I'm having a hard time fully grasping and understanding it. I try to keep an open mind and not be dismissive, something I've witnessed in many other people (and even some fellow classmates, unfortunately). This piece is described as mixed media. It seems to be a collaboration of oil pastels and printwork. I find it curious she's used red to represent a forest, but the vivid and solid colours are undoubtedly what drew me to this piece.
In contrast to Forest I's flat colours, Blue Mountain above shows a more painterly type approach, mixed with printing. It took me a long while to understand this piece, and only now do I truly appreciate the negative space she's used to depict this mountain. I love the cool blues and greys used here. I definitely find the approach to this piece interesting.
El Rig caused the biggest discussion for those I was talking too. Personally, I love it. The simplicity of the, the flat vibrant colours. I seem to be drawn to blues more than anything else, a colour I really feel symbolises so much by saying so little. I rarely feel blues as being cold colours, but rather calm and spiritual. I have absolutely no clue what Cain is trying to tell us with this piece, but that does not detract from my enjoyment of it. I see this as random chaos coming together to create a solid, more structured image. Whereas I see this as a move towards the calm, one of my fellow classmates felt the opposite about this, saying she saw it as a move towards the chaotic, that the violent actions of the application overruled the cool colour.
This was my favourite piece that I encountered. The Descending Blue - That Blue is all in a Rush is a very beautiful and calming piece which carries with it a terribly interesting name. When I looked at this, I immediately formed an opinion and idea about what the image was. In my mind, it represented a forest type area that was wet with rain, the solid blue representing the wet, filling the spaces where water had touched and covered. The leaves shown being the only dry parts of the landscape. That's my opinion anyway, I've no idea if that was Cain's true intent. Either way, I love the idea of the busy rain encompassing the landscape, the solid blue making it more relaxing event.
These were my favourite images from the gallery. There were none I particularly disliked, though honestly, I feel a piece that is forgettable is a worse offender. The excursion was definitely a benefit to me as an artist, and I feel I learnt a lot and took a lot away from the experience. As a class, it led to a lot of interesting conversations about abstract art, and how we each value and understand it.
We entered the exhibition as a large group. This may not have been the ideal situation for viewing the gallery. As I've been led to understand, an exhibition is much like a soundtrack or music album. It's designed to be listened or viewed in a particular order, to tell a certain story. However, because there was so many of us, I ended up viewing the gallery in an anti-clockwise manner. This may not seem like anything worth mentioning, but honestly, I was aware of this when I was there. It definitely affected how I viewed the art. I went through the exhibit a second time, this time the correct way, and I understood a lot more from the way everything was set up.
The first thing we encountered was at the centre of the room. The focal point. Whilst most of the items on display were flat images, this one was an installation. Two mirror like panes of glass with markings on them designed to represent tree branches and trunks. The mirrors, facing each other, then reflect endlessly the markings, giving the impression of a deep forest. I actually really liked the idea behind it. It seemed to take a really simple idea and turn it into a complex image.
This was the first piece I really felt drawn too. Done using pastels, this image appears as four separate abstract images. It's only when they are put together does the overall image become clear. So detailed is this image that from a distance, it almost looks photo realistic. George's Walk was an important piece for me, as it gave new context to a lot of Cain's other abstract work. When I understood they were organic constructs, and even possible exerts of something greater, it really gave me a whole new understanding to her work.
Forest I was one of the first abstract images I saw that I can honestly say I enjoyed. Abstract as a concept is something I'm new too, and honestly, I'm having a hard time fully grasping and understanding it. I try to keep an open mind and not be dismissive, something I've witnessed in many other people (and even some fellow classmates, unfortunately). This piece is described as mixed media. It seems to be a collaboration of oil pastels and printwork. I find it curious she's used red to represent a forest, but the vivid and solid colours are undoubtedly what drew me to this piece.
In contrast to Forest I's flat colours, Blue Mountain above shows a more painterly type approach, mixed with printing. It took me a long while to understand this piece, and only now do I truly appreciate the negative space she's used to depict this mountain. I love the cool blues and greys used here. I definitely find the approach to this piece interesting.
El Rig caused the biggest discussion for those I was talking too. Personally, I love it. The simplicity of the, the flat vibrant colours. I seem to be drawn to blues more than anything else, a colour I really feel symbolises so much by saying so little. I rarely feel blues as being cold colours, but rather calm and spiritual. I have absolutely no clue what Cain is trying to tell us with this piece, but that does not detract from my enjoyment of it. I see this as random chaos coming together to create a solid, more structured image. Whereas I see this as a move towards the calm, one of my fellow classmates felt the opposite about this, saying she saw it as a move towards the chaotic, that the violent actions of the application overruled the cool colour.
This was my favourite piece that I encountered. The Descending Blue - That Blue is all in a Rush is a very beautiful and calming piece which carries with it a terribly interesting name. When I looked at this, I immediately formed an opinion and idea about what the image was. In my mind, it represented a forest type area that was wet with rain, the solid blue representing the wet, filling the spaces where water had touched and covered. The leaves shown being the only dry parts of the landscape. That's my opinion anyway, I've no idea if that was Cain's true intent. Either way, I love the idea of the busy rain encompassing the landscape, the solid blue making it more relaxing event.
These were my favourite images from the gallery. There were none I particularly disliked, though honestly, I feel a piece that is forgettable is a worse offender. The excursion was definitely a benefit to me as an artist, and I feel I learnt a lot and took a lot away from the experience. As a class, it led to a lot of interesting conversations about abstract art, and how we each value and understand it.
Great report
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