Tuesdays-Thursdays, 10am-1pm, October 5-28, and before evening concerts.

New abstract works on paper from 2020 and 2021 by Mary Laucks.

The paintings in this exhibit are the results of a painting process I have been developing over the last few years. I became interested in how gestural, partly random marks laid down (mostly with palette knives and scarpers) over time in layers can evolve, through continual selection, into larger “macro” forms in the painting. These macro forms are constituted by the underlying marks, but why our brain “sees” them is not clear. When the macro forms are analyzed, there are certain elements (e.g., contrast, hue, thickness, opacity, size) that can be used to explain how the brain sees the larger forms, but every viewer will see different forms, so these elements do not completely describe the phenomenon.

When viewing the paintings try to look up close at the marks that make up the forms that you perceive at a distance. Do you get lost in the complex details of the marks, or do you see other larger forms? How do these larger forms change when you inspect them closely? Where do they exist?

What do I mean, Macrobiome? Thinking about this painting process and the perception of it, it occurred to me that there are other natural systems – societies, brains, galaxies – where individual elements with complex interconnections act to create “macro” structures.

You can see more of my work at my website: marylaucks.com

COVID-19 Safety Protocols

Face masks are mandatory at all times in the ArtSpring building. Masks are available but please try to bring your own.