Gwen Evans

 My current practice focuses on the conversation held between figure, object and pattern. Throughout my work I attempt to obscure the narrative of the characters portrayed, thereby subverting the symbolic worth of the objects within. Many of my pieces blur the boundaries between individual as a subject of the painting or object within, exemplified by ‘Ornament’ and ‘Objects on mantelpiece’. By obscuring the allegory depicted I endeavour to create an exchange, allowing viewer to furnish the omitted narrative. My work hinges upon the juxtaposition between the traditional and contemporary. Traditional in the sense of it’s composition and the use of verisimilitude to render the figure. But contemporary in it’s unorthodox depiction of object and individual resulting in the bizarre and surreal. The dialogue between disparate painting processes used to render different areas of the canvas is also an amalgamation of traditional and contemporary; contrasting representational areas suggesting depth, with flatly painted and monochrome areas. This balance of aesthetics mirrors the objects precarious placement within the painting.