Bealach Na Ba

Comment

Comment by Resident Curator on August 28, 2015 at 10:57pm

Curator’s Comments:   

 

Landscapes I tend to admire either skillfully and faithfully recreate a scene, or construct space in such an extraordinary way to make me reconsider the natural environment.  Bealach (Na Ba) appears somewhere in between.  I appreciate the classical rendition of land and sky, atmospherically addressing the denser warmer hues in the foreground and cooler shadows receding past the slightly bowing horizon.  The active brushstrokes satisfy with chunky edges, and convoluted and intricate areas of interest.  This is the stuff of physical, lush painting.  A rather severe contrast, the blue-violet sky acts as an ebbing haze, softening the landscape overall. The slightly darker twin peaks in the distance nimbly mirror the same lavender tints above.  Visually, the open path reflects some of this same cool color palette, connecting the ground to the clouds and inviting the viewer deeper into the rocky terrain.   I’m also very attracted to the verdant green painting Binevenagh Towards Sea.  The sloping plain beautifully combines a myriad of grassy greens, accentuated ever so slightly by warm highlights.  The gestural quality of these works suggests a plein air approach, but the complexity of the landscape belies a quick process.