Casey Roberts: “Bathed in Light”
August 6-27, 2016
Casey Roberts perhaps says it best right in the very first line of his own artist’s statement, “My work illustrates a fantastic landscape.” And what a fantastic landscape it is where butterflies loom larger than the moon, buffalo dance lightly on beds of flowers and the sparkles of the sun’s reflection on a lake take center stage. Working with a photochemical process known as cyanotype, Roberts limits his palette essentially to shades of blue. The cyanotype is a Civil War-era process that when exposed to sunlight and developed gives a vibrant blue image. Roberts paints with this light sensitive medium directly on paper and then works back into the image with everyday chemicals like baking soda, bleach and peroxide to achieve a limited range of colors and textures through controlled chemical reactions. The process is repeated, adding many layers until the image is fully realized, often finishing with watercolor painting or a collage element that adds a touch of whimsy.
“It represents nature’s subtle way of dealing with the peculiar aspects in its relationship with mankind. I am inspired by my conversation with the landscape, I imagine long monologues when pine forests make me laugh and mountains test my patience,” said Roberts.
(text adapted from the venue’s press materials)
INFORMATION
Walker Contemporary
4403 Main Street
Waitsfield, Vermont 05673
(617) 842-3332
Hours, May-October:
Tuesday-Saturday, 11AM-5:30PM
Image:
Bathed in Comet Light (White Buffalo)
by Casey Roberts
42″x52″
cyanotype with collage, watercolor and enamel