In Orbit

Kristen Hjellegjerde Gallery

5 Jun – 3 Jul 2021

Rachel Garrard is interested in experimenting with colour and materiality to evoke a deeper, more embodied visual experience. For Garrard, the artistic process is one of transformation which begins with the creation of her own pigments from natural, found materials that she collects on her travels across the globe, including ash from a temazcal ceremony in Mexico, powdered quartz crystal, plants, seeds, shells and coloured earth from her treks throughout the Andes mountain range, Europe and Central America. She then layers thin washes of pigment onto the surface of linen, building them up gradually to create the appearance of depth and shadow within precisely delineated geometrical forms. ‘Although the pigments have an earthly quality, my inspiration comes from the ephemeral and unseen,’ she explains. ‘I see abstract art as a way to speak in a language that transcends the material form.’

Through extensive research into contemporary science, the fundamental elements of nature, the mathematics behind aesthetics and the energy potential in the material object, the artist has developed a distinct symbolic language that aims to connect subjective experience with the cosmic and universal. ‘I understand myself and the world around me through these symbolic images, as such they can be seen as maps of the inner territories of the psyche,’ she says. The subtle tones and abstract forms evoke an emotional response from the viewer, inviting them to enter into a kind of meditative state which enables access to different realms of consciousness. Interestingly, many of the works feature faded multi-coloured, pointed shapes which seem to suggest a sense of progression or journey, and have the effect of guiding the eye in a certain direction. In the painting entitled Open, for example, these forms appear pointing upwards alongside a luminous wash of white, suggesting an ethereal space or perhaps, enlightenment. This work, as with all of Garrard’s paintings, invites a deep, concentrated kind of contemplation.