Art thoughts: Erin Lawlor

Hiraeth
February 22 - March 31
Fox Jensen Gallery
Sydney

Erin Lawlor

Hiraeth, 180 x 130 cm.

Fox Jenson Gallery in Sydney is mounting 'Hiraeth', the first solo exhibition of English painter, Erin Lawlor. It's rare for an Australian gallery to show the work of a contemporary living international painter. For many years Lawlor lived in Paris before returning more recently to base herself in London. Erin's growth in stature as a painter is tied to the development of her work. Large swirls of alla prima paint in Northern European colours and tones amount to the visual content and context of the work. 'Process' underlies her painting (each seems a journey) however the compositions are carefully configured. The illusionistic depth of field leads the viewer on a physical journey as marks can be followed as if tangible or concrete. When drawing with 'sparklers' in the night sky the trace line becomes real for moments. In Lawlor's case her gestural trajectory is frozen like a bud in amber.

'Erin works exclusively in oil on pre-stretched canvas that she lays on the floor. Working horizontally came about gradually, as she began to work with larger brushes and more liquid paint. She lets the first few layers of a new work dry, forming a base upon which to work “alla prima” (wet-on-wet), painting over and over and with what has gone before.

“In later layers, I work back through the colours with thick-bristled brushes, so the initial tones are sometimes visible and have their importance,” says Erin. “I aspire to a coherence – so often beautiful moments that occur during the process end up being sacrificed in favour of the whole. Just as line and form need to come together so do matter and subject, however inexplicit that subject may be. It’s a constant tightrope walk!” ' Camilia Wagstaff, Erin Lawlor : Pure Drama, In Out Design Blog.