EXHIBITION - IT STARTED IN JANUARY, 2019
KATE WALSH - ARTIST STATEMENT
When the calendar year begins, people all around the world often stop to reflect on what has come to pass. It can be a time for celebration, holidays, family, friends, resolution, hope, and the promise of future possibilities. For a few, it is the time to build long term plans for a better future. This exhibition charts experiences of the artist at this time of year on a personal level as she builds memories with her family and friends. On a broader level, this exhibition reflects on the many common experiences of January, no matter where in the world.
The largest painting, ‘Distant’ is of the artist’s grandmother who feels the excitement of a family celebration even though she is lost in ‘the fog’ of Alzeimer’s Disease. In other works, a glass of champagne celebrates the New Year, but fatigue can be overwhelming at times…the pleasure of being with nature… walks on the beach… the snowfields of the northern hemisphere. Fireworks are universal as they herald in the New Year and always, omnipresent are the possibilities of illness…passing away…new life…and so it goes on. Somehow, it seems magnified at this time of year and we can often muse that …
’It started in January…’
Kate’s art is focused on the blurred edges of life, the transition of emotion, a passing thought sliding across the face, a fleeting gesture, an unconscious presence, the mood of a landscape impacting on personal experience or just a hint of perception that fuels a narrative. The intangible nature of the human spirit, memory and dream-like states are referenced through partially transparent, fragmented, and disintegrating imagery. Kate's aim is to challenge the viewer to enter a psychological space. The fluid nature of watercolours and inks reflects the transience of the subject matter. Layers are created on raw material, allowing a bond to occur as they seep into the warp and weft of the frayed canvas. The artist’s affinity with fabric started as a young child through family and has become an important part of her personal artistic language.
