Julie Goring: Worlds Close By
20th October to 14th November 2014
Open eve 20th October 7-9pm
Open weekdays 9am to 4pm
Other times by appointment
The work may be described as contemporary icons. Usually painted on panel with gold leaf, the images are often small with an underlying narrative aspect. Birds feature frequently;-they have that small and fleeting quality, but their presence uplifts an entire day, expanding my horizons. Words too act as touchstones for inspiration.
The work stems from a strong narrative impulse; words, and story-telling are frequently an inspiration. Often the form itself of the work – diptychs, triptychs, polyptychs or votives for example- also builds toward this overarching narrative concept. My heroes are the late mediaeval and early Renaissance painters, especially the Flemish artists, who worked under commission, but nevertheless retained a huge individuality and particularity in their vision. My own work centres very often on birds, which have been a lifelong thrill, often ‘making the day’ by their presence. These and other small “incidentals” in life-“the daily day”, you might say, seem often to hold a deeper resonance. Passing remarks, a phrase, a fleeting gesture or expression, might trigger associations and unexpected connections. They become, for me, contemporary icons: they belong to the humdrum world yet hold a special other quality:-a small poem in a day. I mostly work in acrylic, often with gesso and gold leaf on panel, but enjoy etching, and sculptural elements also