Lucy Barlow, Untitled I, 2009, Oil on paper, © Lucy Barlow, Courtesy First Floor Projects, 2009.
Lucy Barlow, Birds, 2007, Pen and ink on paper, © Lucy Barlow, Courtesy First Floor Projects, 2009.
Lucy Barlow, Bloom I, 2009, Oil on paper, © Lucy Barlow, Courtesy First Floor Projects, 2009. |
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First Floor Projects
5 Redcliffe Gardens
0207 351 5988
London
Lucy Barlow,
Delicate Boundaries
April 23-May 30, 2009
"For a long time I’ve been the girl who does the drawings of birds and cakes."
— Lucy Barlow
Delicate Boundaries, a solo show of work by Lucy Barlow, sheds formal narrative. Barlow’s new collection of abstract watercolour, gouache landscapes and fine art drawings reveal a significant departure from her previous work, "I am still in control, but it is less controlling than my previous work. It is expansive. I am still a spectator, still questioning, but without the questions impeding on the natural progression of the work itself."
The drawings are reminiscent of her previous whimsical illustrations, which she describes as "contained, formal compositions … very controlled, very fine, lyrical line drawings." But this control, she indicates was a metaphorical boundary. Her new drawings have evolved; by using coloured or lead pencils on paper, dip pens and inks filled in with watercolour, she creates wonderfully witty, tongue in cheek drawings such as Bears Say No that participate in the negative space around them, and that still exhibit some of her humour; "there is a childish part of me that doesn’t want to give up the ghost, or stop being silly."
Intuitive colour placement ensures Barlow’s abstracts remain anti-formulaic, creating a tense sense of push and pull between the background and foreground. This way of working with colour, Barlow believes, was inspired by Helen Frankenthaler’s unprimed canvases, ‘vast vistas and sea, so alive they breathe’. Moments in time are captured but remain fluid through the depth of tension between Barlow’s colours; paintings such as Fire Ladders fizz with freshness and light. Lucy Barlow’s work possesses an intentional sense of the unresolved — "there are questions that have no answers, and I am trying to reflect this without the ends being tied up perfectly in a bow."
The work of Louise Bourgeois encouraged Barlow to experiment with materials and engage in a constant monologue with herself, while using her work as therapy. "I used to feel guilty and selfish, so self-indulgent, being an artist’ she says, ‘but the Bourgeois show really reminded me of the importance of creativity and the arts in the world. There is a wonderful freedom of expression." Time, not frozen but physically "gestural," creates a moment for dialogue between the visual work and the viewer — the paintings encourage an accessing, even an embracing of the dormant parts of oneself. "The communication of the visual bypasses words," says Barlow, something she experiences first-hand when encountering work by Louise Bourgeois. In response to this lesson she has learnt from Bourgeois, Barlow’s work searches for "chaos and imperfection, while finding comfort within that formless, liberating way of working."
Lucy Barlow studied at Central St. Martins, and her work featured in group shows at the Modern Art Oxford (2004) and the Institute of Contemporary Art (2005). Since graduating from Oxford Brookes University in 2006, Lucy Barlow has participated in several collaborative shows, including Obsessions at Modern Art Oxford (2008) and Sarah Brown and Lucy Barlow, Oxford Town Hall (2009). This is her first solo show.
Lucy Barlow, Mary, 2009, Collage (mixed media) and watercolour on paper , © Lucy Barlow, Courtesy First Floor Projects, 2009.
Lucy Barlow, Mary, Colour Inside Of Me, 2008, Ink and watercolour on paper, © Lucy Barlow, Courtesy First Floor Projects, 2009. |
