Deborah Lanyon : Space Time and Place
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The title of this exhibition - ‘Space Time and Place’ - reflects the key ingredients of my work. The culinary term “Ingredient” reflects the sensory quality of the paintings.
‘Space” - the first ingredient - is the primary inspiration for the work. it offers compositional value and immediate engagement with the landscape.
“Time” determines how I physically connect with the subject matter. This can be as sensory as taste or smell.
“Place” is where everything comes together. It is the presentation and identification of the complete work.
Paint for me is very physical and I endeavour to exploit it fully. Paint is an organic substance with which I engage and seek never to restrict. I am not led by emotion but cannot deny it has its place within the work. It never has a hold.
I work on the edge of both intellect and vision whilst giving the paint permission to develop its own identity.
The paintings for the exhibition have come together over the last two years from time spent in England, Italy, Slovenia and France. I have absorbed from, and been inspired by, the places I have visited.
Some of the smaller works have been created in situ and comprise more figurative elements. The larger works are painted in my studio in Wandsworth. I enjoy the lapse of time between first seeing a space - when and where it was - to the moment when the painting is realised. This lapse allows ideas to be digested and synthesised. As a painter this enables me to keep the work fresh, hold my engagement and keep the work alive.