The Weekly Volcano, May 8, 2010
 |
| “Washington Center Covered Over”photo by Thomas Johnston |
Susan Christian continues to show the
strongest art to be seen in Olympia in her little “Project Space” Salon Refu.
Her latest show is Thomas Johnston
Palmpeset II, paintings and photography.
This is some powerful stuff — most
notably “Envelop,” the painting used on the posters and invitations. It is a
large and imposing painting in oil on linen over panels that are shaped as two
triangles over a rectangular base, 48 inches high by 72 inches in width. The face
of this painting is a modulated surface of running, dripping, layered and
scraped rust-colored paint. The two inverted triangles created a negative shape
that is a third triangle — the blank white wall between the triangles reads as
a positive shape so that the positive-negative push-pull is as strong as a
battle of wills. This is minimalist, color field painting at its very best with
a delicious touch of gestural abstraction.
The best paintings in the show are the
ones that, like “Envelop,” take on a shape other than the traditional
rectangle. “1991” is a chevron-shaped painting. “2012” and “2013” are blunt
L-shaped paintings. The smaller paintings are not as effective. Most are square,
some as small as 5¾inches -square. All of them look like rusted sheets of painted
tin or sign boards or the sides of barns where part of the paint has flacked
off exposing earlier layers. They are like decorative tiles, all surface
texture and no form. It’s painting that begs to be done on a larger scale.
There are also a number of photographs
in the show. Many of these are close-ups of urban settings that mimic the
colors and textures of his paintings, some of which are every bit as powerful
as the paintings. “Chelsea” is a photo of the edge of a building with an indefinable
wedge shape in rust brown on a white wall with part of an across-the-street
wall and two cars seen in the background, and “Blue Square” is a striking photo
of a dark pole with a bright blue square attached to it and greenery in the
background. These are strong abstract forms.
The strongest of all the photos is
“Washington Center Covered Over,” a picture of part of the Washington Center
for the Performing Arts in Olympia while it was undergoing renovation. It is
unreadable as an object but fascinating as an abstract painting. If there were
nothing in this show other than this photograph and “Envelop” it would still be
a mind-blowing exhibition.
Salon Refu, Thomas Johnston: Palmpeset II, Thursday-Sunday, noon to 6
p.m. and by appointment through salonrefu@gmai.com, through May -25, 222 Fourth Ave. W, Olympia.
No comments:
Post a Comment