Bob Aldous
Catalogue Foreword
‘Observing the reflections of the sky above, interpolated with the world below, transports us to a liminal plane. Similarly, when looking through an Aldous painting, the viewer is conveyed away from their internal clamour to a space of transcendent calm.’
Chaos to Calm.
Bob Aldous’ paintings explore the emotions of atmosphere. The artist is concerned with water: surface, depth, reflection. When gazing at a lake, river, or ocean, we experience a hazy stillness. Observing the reflections of the sky above, interpolated with the world below, transports us to a liminal plane. Similarly, when looking through an Aldous painting, the viewer is conveyed away from their internal clamour to a space of transcendent calm.
This show, for Aldous, is about exploring the pulsating space of where sky and water melt together in reflection. He paints from an internal, distilled landscape. With his aqueous washes of oil or egg tempura, he abstracts the nature of water, blending what could be reflections of sky together with a landscape below the surface. There is an emphasis on atmospheric distance in his work, created through varying tonal value. This simulates the distance one feels either looking through a body of water or gazing into the reflections of sky. This pulsating space, results in a movement of the eye and mind.
Aldous has been investigating the subtle luminosity of egg tempura and oil glazes. With egg tempura, the ground of the canvas shines through the paint, imitating the muffled glow of backlit clouds. Aldous, sensitive to the fluidity of his subject matter, paints on silk or very fine canvas. The delicate washes of inks and paint bleed and seep into this delicate support, exaggerating the nature and fibre of the material.
Colour is important to the artist’s process. Aldous will refine his palette through a series of small, coloured sketches, each cross-pollinating hues, compositions, and mark making. These sketches act as rough roadmaps for his bigger pieces. A vast amount of his process is taken up with adjusting his palette until the desired colours are achieved. When applying brush to canvas, Aldous works quickly: swiping of the brush and wiping back through slashes of tempura. This fluid mark making results in paintings full of movement, both quick and blossoming.
Although working with an earthy, subtle palette, Aldous creates space and distance by contrasting receding muted blends of colour with energetic, vibrant, immediate marks. These darts and flicks of brilliant whites, electric blues, or deep Payne’s greys, reimagine the lambent reflections of light on water. The marks also give the works a rhythm, drawing the eye to the surface detail, creating an illusion of vast space.
Aldous paints himself out of internal suffering. When finished, the painting reflects a space of beauty, possibility, and transportation.
For more information: http://bobaldous.com