Ophelia by Wendy Coad

Comment

Comment by Wendy Coad on October 11, 2012 at 12:44pm

My work is mostly about balance and counter-balance. Migration and dislocation are constant themes in my paintings. I'll often place active figures in the halls of culture (movement within a more static interior).

Thanks for your insightful comments. 

Comment by Resident Curator on October 11, 2012 at 8:47am

Curator’s Comment:  

 

The gestural fluid color in your paintings gives the appearance your figures are swimming in dry space, and so the title of Ophelia is especially on the mark, despite the subject’s lively expression.  The large turquoise field of the water is a beautiful counter balance to the small choppy strokes that break up the figure.  There also seems to be a significant amount of change in directionality, and so the more divided figure ground relationship helps to anchor the movement.  I especially like the broken patches of pink in the water- they visually connect the sections and suggest light refraction without resorting to harsh highlights. Ophelia’s upward gaze strengthens the diagonal composition, and keeps the focal point from settling in the center of the piece.  I also especially like the more complex work titled Daphney, as the twin figures embody upward movement within a more static interior environment.  The effect is a bewitched surrealism, or contemporary fairy tale.