I have followed the career of artist Lorraine Pritchard with interest for several years now. She is represented by the Galérie Beaux-Arts des Amériques in Montreal, and is currently the subject of a solo show at their St.-Laurent Street venue.
Like Agnes Martin, Pritchard was raised on the Canadian Prairies. The two artists share an affinity for the vast landscape of crop lines and fence lines, reaching uninterrupted to the horizon under an enormous sky. This vision is evident in Pritchard's recent series of tall rectangles on washi paper, featuring fine, pencilled parallel lines running edge-to-edge, closely spaced, creating bands of colour.
 |
| What Lies Between, 2019 95 drawings, ink and coloured pencil on washi, each 21.75" x 6.75" |
The visitor to the show is greeted by a wall with 95 such banners, mounted in grid format. During the vernissage, when the space was crowded with well-wishers, the banners trembled with the changing air currents.
 |
Above is a variation on the use of parallel lines drawn on washi paper, with the paper folded to cast shadows and create a multiplicity of shapes.
Clearly the artist brings great focus and discipline to these drawings. And yet other series are more about the large gesture and these are, perhaps, my favourites.
I enjoy the variety I see in these compositions: opacity and transparency, over and under, subtle transitions and bold contrast.
Often they include a drawn line that acts as a counterpoint to the great swaths of transparent colour.
More images from the current exhibition are available on the gallery's website.
The show continues until November 16, 2019.
2 comments:
Having been intrigued and inspired by Agnes Martin and her work, I just had to look up Ms. Pritchard. Now to take some time to explore her website. Thanks!
As with Agnes Martin, there will be many who "don't get" the work of Lorraine Pritchard. I love her approach, and continue to be amazed by her ability to develop new creative directions.
Post a Comment