Thursday 24 April 2008

Carole Waller exhibition at the Craft Study Gallery



I have liked Carole Waller’s silk paintings for some time. The way she embeds them in glass so they can be used outside is also very clever. I have made many silk paper hangings in the past and it is always difficult to show them; her solution is brilliant. The paintings benefit by being seen in a good light with the light filtering through them and it also increases the market for them because they can be used in the open air and are more robust. Her work is similar to my own in many ways and seeing the different ways she displays work was very interesting. She uses Muji see-through frames with the lugs to hold them at a angle, solid acrylic frames made up of two pieces that stand alone and for the larger pieces has solid floor holders.

I enjoyed the installation at the Craft Study Centre but felt it was slightly contrived and the paintings had not been designed as a group, although I enjoyed them regardless. I thought projecting images on to the work was successful and is something I might consider in my own practice. I felt the background noise of the railway station was intrusive though. To me the paintings exude tranquillity and I would have preferred to enjoy them without the sounds of a busy railway station in the background – perhaps country sounds would have been more in keeping.

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