Patterns of Infinity

by | Jul 21, 2014 | Blog

(r)evolution 12, encaustic, collage and oil on panel, 60×48, 2014

Written by Karen Crews Hendon, Curator

Tracey Adams’ new (r)evolution series is a collection of encaustic on panel works created from 2013-2014. Composed of organic shapes arranged on a linear matrix, Adams explores the intersection of pattern, color, and space.

With distinct rhythm, circular shapes in soft to bold hues appear in succession. Like colorful tabs that fade in and out, they create systematic yet gestural patterns.

Color inspires the mood of these compositions, like subtle timbres or overtones in music. The movement and energy felt in the work pulsate, depending on the unpredictable, yet calculated, intervals between them.

(r)evolution 4, encaustic, collage, and oil on panel, 36×36, 2014

(r)evolution 9, encaustic, collage, and oil on panel, 30×30, 2014

Adams’ passion for music composition, visual perception, and elements found in nature forms a theme at the core of her work. Begun in 2013, (r)evolution, implies a grander variation in which she has opened up and allowed herself a free-flowing perspective.

The artist has named some of her recent paintings Benthic Revolution, 1-8, tapping into the ocean as her primary muse. Her reference to the benthic zone, the lowest level or bottom layer of the ocean, positions the viewer first at the surface.

Benthic Revolution 2, encaustic and collage on Mitsumata, 40×26, 2014

Benthic Revolution 3, encaustic and collage on Mitsumata, 40×26, 2014

Benthic Revolution 8, encaustic and collage on Mitsumata, 32×21

Like peering into the ocean, a continuum of endless patterns, the chance of seeing the same image repeated is unlikely. Her work reveals the subtleties of many layers and dimensions that emerge and take shape, simulating the currents and color pools in nature.

For the past decade, Adams has integrated encaustic, oil, acrylic, graphite, ink, and collage, pushing the boundaries of these materials. In (r)evolution, Adams selected only pigmented beeswax and collage as her medium. This has allowed her to retain the purity she seeks while pursuing new variations.

The evolution of Tracey Adams’ work is cathartic. Comparable to the music of experimental composer John Cage, she is “purposefully playing” which is “an affirmation of life – not an attempt to bring order out of chaos nor to suggest improvements in creation, but simply a way of waking up to the very life we’re living.”

Tracey Adams in her studio

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

Pattern of Infinity
Winfield Gallery, Carmel, CA
July 15 – August 3

Bryant Street Gallery, Palo Alto, CA
July 15 – August 30

Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival, Atherton, CA
July 18 – August 9

Download Catalogue
Tracey Adams: Patterns of Infinity 

GROUP EXHIBITIONS

Outside/Inside
K. Imperial Fine Art, San Francisco, CA
July 15 – August 30

The Circle Game
Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ
February 22 – September 7

Swept Away
Hunterdon Art Museum, Clinton, NJ
May 18 – September 7

SHIFT: Five Decades of Contemporary California Painting
Monterey Museum of Art, Monterey CA
May 1 – September 22

ARTIST TALKS

Music@Menlo
Artist Talk with Cathy Kimball, Executive Director, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
July 29

SHIFT: Five Decades of Contemporary California Painting
Artist Talk with Karen Crews Hendon, Chief Curator, Monterey Museum of Art
August 7

Folded

by | Jun 21, 2014 | Blog

My earliest childhood memories are of Helen Ishi, my father’s business partner. Japanese culture is about sharing and generosity with others. When Helen would visit, she would bring little things for me to play with: small Japanese dolls and toys and my favorite, origami. I loved the bright colors and papers that could be folded and fashioned into animals and other shapes. I’ve always loved the texture and look of paper, especially Japanese paper. I think that’s why I studied printmaking in high school and college – initially woodcuts, then drypoint and soft ground etching, and now encaustic monotype. During the last 7 years my focus has been on the encaustic monotype and the variety of ways I can use it in my work: collage, mounted on panels and painted with acrylic or encaustic paint. Now, I fold them into shapes, sometimes trimming to reshape. Folding alters the painted imagery and yields something quite different from the original image. Lately, my favorite time of the day has been when I make the day’s folded piece.

My new series, Folded, is a way of representing time spent in the studio every day through the use of folds. Each piece contains a certain number of folds that correspond to the day of the month. For example, the piece made on June 14 has 14 folds. The folds have different widths, corresponding to a predetermined calculation I make for each piece. The papers used in these pieces are fragments of encaustic monotypes created previously on Japanese papers; the monotypes were made relatively close to the same time as the day the folded piece was made.

This project developed as my other collage projects have – out of a need to break away from whatever painting or show I was working on; the goal being to loosen up and have some fun in a less important and time-consuming  way. I set certain parameters for myself: maximum time spent on each folded piece would be an hour or less and no piece would be larger than 12″x12″. Many of the pieces made duirng this first month, June,  are smaller. Collage has always been my default for those frustrating and trying moments in the studio and in my life. It contains the perfect balance of intention and chance.

June 5, 2014

June 10, 2014

June 12, 2014

June 14, 2014

June 15, 2014

June 16, 2014

June 17, 2014

June 11, 2014

June 6, 2014