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Victoria
Crowe's magic is to perceive and to invite perception. Her art
enchants. Her imagery communicates the elusive, fleeting, transitory
and yet constant passage of time. There is a stillness in the
works which draws the viewer into the rich interior spaces,
to become lost within fresco surfaces, warmed by the colour
and texture of sun-drenched chapels and dimly lit vaults, sensing
meanings, glimpsing the landscape outside.
Her art is not simply an observed rendering, exquisite though
that rendering may be. It is an art of metaphor. An intricate
spirituality weaves imagery which seems to yearn towards understanding.
She draws on the spirit of places and objects, frequently recalling
them to communicate inner dramas, investing them with a personal
symbolism which transcends time and place.
It is an art of allusion. Searching, she conjures layers of
imagery, composed within layers of colour. Juxtaposing portrait,
landscape, object, she continues to evolve a complex visual
language which enables her to make visible her innermost feelings
and experiences, inviting new dialogues, connections and meanings
to emerge.
Hinted and unspoken, but touched and known.
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‘When
I'm painting all I'm really thinking about are the abstract qualities
within the work - the interplay of transparent and opaque paint, the
drama of saturated or muted colour and an overall tonal control. Each
surface and passage of paint is considered and refined until its weight
within the whole piece seems right.
I enjoy paintings which can be read from a distance and yet reveal more
and more as you get nearer. I don't mean in terms of literal detail
but in the rewarding nature of the quality of the paint itself. I build
my paintings up physically in layers - the end result of the colour,
tone or image is reliant upon the last bit of glazing, the last scratched-through
surface. I want to draw the viewer into the work, reveal the contents
slowly and let them have time to find their own responses.
I'm beginning to understand how to transform complex thought and feelings
into
images which are meaningful to me. An understanding of the natural world
through
observation and drawing is vital to me. The act of drawing underpins
so much; drawing is a way of thinking, a visual diary, a page of poetry,
a question with no answers and a link with the function of consciousness
- our attempt at understanding....
Each painting is a creative leap taking us to unknown resolutions -
a chance to balance chaos and order, the intuitive and the intellectual....
a meditative, deeply personal response to existence which is both accessible
and universal.’
Victoria Crowe ‘Painted Insights'
ACC 2000
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