Waiting for a night flight years ago, I saw that a number of very different circumstances were represented by shapes seen on and through a window pane. The understanding that layers of separate origin and inference could be meaningfully compressed into a single image opened up possibilities within various visual conventions themselves.

My interest in perception, process and signs evolves in painted work through the exploration of abstract form and coded information. Focusing on the relationship between form and meaning, I look to engage contemporary experience within the fine art arena. Unplanned, the image is constructed in layers using manufactured objects and deskilled process such as stenciling or printing. This allows the shapes of ordinary objects to be randomly imported and their resulting qualities and interpretations explored. Traditional and contemporary elements of fine art are seen as cultural referents within the work alongside other factors.

Curious about the relationship between perception, mechanical process and creative practice, I have been examining unexpected outcomes from everyday phenomena like electric light, gravity, the stickiness of paint etc. Re-defining the criteria used to direct technology is at the core of “progress” and involves perceptual shifts. Here, that redefinition allows for intervention without skill, and is arguably accessible to anyone.

© copyright 2008    heather lewis    all rights reserved.