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Liz
Wright
I attended art college in the late 1960ís and early
1970ís during a period when ëAbstract Expressionism
was all the rage. There was pressure to conform, but for me
it held no excitement; it has all been done before. I could
not jump on to what by then had become a bandwagon; it had
reached its peak in the 1950ís with works such as Ad
Reinhardtís black canvases which had no colour, texture
or subject matter. Where could one go from there?
I saw no direction, so I went to the other extreme; I began
painting every blade of grass, every leaf and every brick
in a wall. To learn technique I referred back to Old Master
paintings, observing their use of colour and composition.
My paintings are based on incidents seen and landscapes observed.
They are determined by my surroundings and where I am living
in a city or in the countryside.
A painting I feel should be like a window; it should lure
and transport the observer into another world, whether it
is a scenic fantasy, legend, myth or a realistic landscape.
The spirit of life is the most important element to me , so
it is my aim to capture either the essence of a place, or
a way of life.
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