By Olivia Ranger-Enns
Liz Davidson’s brand new exhibit titled “En
Construction” is beautiful and mesmerising in its complexity, its numerous
flirtations with geometrical abstraction, and its homage to nature in a novel
way.
Walk into Sutton’s art gallery Art Plus and
you will be welcomed by large prints that play with shapes, colors and
perspective. A photographer by nature, Davidson was initially intrigued by the
myriad ways in which nature could be addressed and began snapping pictures of
landscapes around her house in Sutton Junction at dawn and dusk, the arguably
two most magical phases of the day. Back in her studio, Davidson worked on
zooming into a particularly interesting section of a photograph until the
picture itself became a series of lines, shapes and forms that balance and work
off of one another.
The result morphed into a series of images
that Davidson has cleverly called “En construction” (under construction) which
reflect one of her personal philosophies in life. “I decided to call the
exhibit “En Construction” because we are all under construction, in some way or
another,” argued Davidson, whose life has been submerged into a full year of
renovating her house, built around 1862. “It’s not just the house that was
under construction, it is us as well. We don’t always get to reconstruct who we
are in life,” she said.
“Dawns Early Light” (2016) for example
features salmon-pinks cascading into tangerine oranges and sunny yellows. Four
featured triangles (Davidson loves triangles) are carefully balanced adjacent
to each other, creating a grid-like effect to the image. Other images like
“Roof Lines” (2016), “Floor Plan” (2016), and “Roof Life at Dawn” (2016) pay
homage to the complexities and intricate beauty of renovation outlines. If seen
from a distance, each image showcases construction-like elements that denote
house walls, chimneys or blueprints, depending on one’s outlook.
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| Fields © Liz Davidson |
Other images like “Fields” (2016) marry
mauves, turquoise greens and periwinkle blues together to create an abstract
version of early summer Eastern Townships’ fields. “I realized that I don’t
have to be anal about taking one single perfect picture,” said Davidson. “That
way, I can take numerous pictures and mesh them together to create my idea of a
perfect field.” Davidson rummaged through pictures she had taken more than 35
years ago in order to create a well-balanced collection that does justice to
the beauty of her immediate surroundings.
Two prominent stand art pieces, created by
the state-of-the-art company Deineri, did not go unnoticed by visitors at the
art gallery. Integrating design technology and elegance, the Deineri stand-art
is a 3-D model that features art in a unique space. “I was approached by two
microbiologists working at Deineri,” said Davidson. “I was asked if I wanted to
create art that they would use as stand-art pieces, and of course I said yes.”
The idea behind Deineri stand-art is simple. Do you often complain of too
little wall space to hang up another favourite piece of art? If so, Deineri
stand-art is the way to go. Davidson’s stand art is a colourful and brightly
lit as her images, which are a departure from her normal gamut of colors. “I
never use bubble gum pink,” said Davidson reflectively as she gazed at one of the
stand-art pieces showcasing a series of pinks. “It’s so girly, and so unlike
me.” Characteristically, Davidson laughed and shook her head. The question left
hanging was: who knows where her artistic tendencies will go next?
Davidson’s “En Construction” is on display
from June 30 to July 31 at Sutton’s Galerie Art Plus at 8, rue Maple in Sutton.
For more information, call (450) 521-3189. The gallery is open from Thursdays
to Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cut line: “Dawns Early Light” is just one
of the many images that combine mathematical preciseness with a wide gamut of
gorgeous colors paying homage to the beauty of nature.
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| Dawn © Liz Davidson |
