CLICK HERE FOR ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL JAY
ARTIST'S PROFILE by Edward Krcma : There is a sense of both intense familiarity and a curious distance
in the art of Gill Watkiss. Her paintings depict scenes in Penwith,
the western edge of Cornwall, using distinctive landmarks and
architecture to anchor her work in the real and the geographically
specific. This specificity is bolstered by the inclusion of place
names in the titles of her work. Despite this insistence on specific
location, Gill Watkiss veers away from naturalism, her forms being
neither realistic in physical terms nor limited to naturalistic
accuracy. Rather, her work is charged with psychology and expression,
courting an emotional response. Winter afternoon, Tregerest Chapel The Corner Shop, Pendeen
oil on board 445 x 610mm
She is as concerned with human activity as she is with the landscapes
in which they walk, relax, and relate. It is perhaps her treatment
of Penwith society that has made her so popular in this area.
However, these paintings are not altogether comforting. Employing
expressive distortions of form and scale, as well as intensification
of colour, Gill Watkiss imbues her work with a psychological potency
that often manifests itself as an intangible malaise, somewhat
reminiscent of the troubled work of such northern Expressionist
painters as Munch and Kirchner. The figures populate dark, often
ominous landscapes, with skies unsettled and forms that are at
once troubled yet full of empathy with the human condition surrounding
them.
395 x 500mm oil on board
The populating figures are often numerous, yet they rarely interact;
as in a snapshot they stare blankly back at the beholder. They
connect through formal rhythms, yet rarely seem aware of each
other's company. Thus we are struck at once by the intimacy and
familiarity of these scenes and at the same time by the distorted
and emotionally laden lens through which they are seen.
© Great Atlantic Publications and Ed Krcma, December 2000.
CLICK HERE FOR ARTIST'S BIOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL JAY
The Great Atlantic Gallery, St Just
5 Bank Square, St Just -in-Penwith, Cornwall TR19 7HH
International Tel: 44 1736 788911/786016 (within the UK: 01736
788911/786016)
e-mail: gallery@greatatlantic.co.uk