By Anil Ojha
Abstract Art: meanings of colour and canvas
Aspects of Art
Contemporary Art Gallery, Boscombe
Four artists exhibition
5 December 2001- 26 January 2002
Artists: Martyn Brewster, Gerry Dudgeon, Jim Hunter and Tessa Peskett.
Paintings like 'Silent Within' and 'Blue Moon' look like the messy creations of kindergarten children. But I tried to translate the meanings of every dark and bright side of these paintings when Tessa Peskett started describing her work. These landscape abstracts reflect the emotional state of being in landscape. Every single colour and the depth of its darkness reflect an emotional state.
Unlike Jim Hunter, Tessa Peskett and Martyn Brewster use rich and dark colours as well as layers of paint. Martyn's works basically reflect the musical, lyrical and romantic aspects of human emotions. The medium was mono-silk where as Tessa's work was done with oil on canvas.
When I looked at Jim Hunter's paintings, they were simple rectangles of different colours joined together. Later on I discovered the series was about colour, shape and balance. Though the paintings were brighter than that of Tessa and Martyn, they also reflected the memory of a sense of place and moment. The medium was acrylic on canvas.
An interesting aspect of the exhibition was the introduction of Stuart Newberry's sculptures. Blue coloured 'pots' of different sizes were put together in a corner of the gallery. This figurative work reflected a family and the human relationship.
Before reaching the venue of the exhibition, I thought that the gallery would be larger and that there would be more people around. However, the small gallery was pretty quiet. During my half-hour stay, a couple came in and left again within five minutes. There were about twenty-five paintings of different sizes hanging on the walls and the price ranged from £250 to £500.
For details call Tessa Peskett on 01202 434361 or email tessapeskett@hotmail.com.
mammj@hotmail.com
