Shadow & Light Series : Dubai 2013

I have been based in my Dubai studio in Downtown Dubai for just over 2 years now. It has been a time of adjustment in many aspects... to living in a new country and culture, discovering my new environment and  finding connections to my local neighborhood and to ways of expressing all these experiences in the visual language of my artwork. There has been an adjustment to working in a small studio from home, a lot smaller than the large warehouse spaces I have been used to for many years, however for now this is very practical particularly  in this hot climate.

For approx 8 months of the year it becomes too hot to go outdoors apart from a quick dash across the road... so working from home in air con is far more suitable, although I do really miss my expansive studio spaces I have had for many years....This has also contributed to the change in scale, subject matter and medium of my work. For many years I have mostly worked on large oil on linen paintings 183x137cm... The small studio space , lack of available professional quality art materials ( unless I ship them in), the extreme difference in location, environment and landscape... and also the desire to work in charcoal, have all contributed to the changes in my work,

The focus for my artwork has shifted from the vast views of the Australian landscapes, capturing the mood, atmosphere and quality of light of winter... to a more inward focus... observing all the details, finding beauty in the intimate details... the organic shapes in the nearby gardens, the shadow patterns from the plants and Arabic Lanterns and the quality of light, and shadows. Vast views of green, wintry, landscapes have been replaced by sun soaked more immediate views in the local neighborhood. The concerns in my work that have a long thread of investigation are still there for me.. Mood, mystery, harmony and balance, attention to detail, quality of light, beauty and sensual nature of organic shapes in nature are still my focus.

For the past year I have been concentrating on charcoal drawings and have developed this series : Shadow and Light. I have loved working with charcoal again, exploring and remembering with fondness the visual language of this very seductive medium. Throughout my career I have loved to work with charcoal, although I have not exhibited them much, preferring to keep them for myself! Also, the gallery and exhibition requirements have often called for my large  oil paintings.... So I am thoroughly enjoying the freedom now to explore and develop my work with charcoal. More on the visual language of charcoal soon....

Here is portfolio of the series from 2013 :The majority of the charcoals are image 72x52cm, with a few 52x52cm. The oil paintings on linen are 183x137cm and 102 x76 cm

  

Kathryn Ryan, Shadow & Light Solo Exhibition 2013

Shadow & Light, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne October 8-26th

Here are some views from my recent exhibition, for sales inquiries  please email : ryan_kathryn@hotmail.com Also see Flinders Lane Gallery  

Kathryn Ryan, various charcoal on paper framed 2013  $2,500. AUD

"That which is seen, unseen. A blur, movement, light falling, light passing. Th transformation of what is known, what is understood. A mystery revealed, an opening in to another world. The detail taken out of context, the beauty of the mundane and ordinary taken to new heights.... Art makes us see things anew, in a different light, out of context, observing the familiar and unfamiliar, noticing all and transforming in to another realm, a new understanding or new light... " 
Kathryn Ryan Dubai 2013

My artwork is inspired by the quality of light, mood and atmosphere in the landscape and environment around me.For many years I have painted the South West  Victorian landscapes which are so familiar to me, capturing the wintery conditions and quality of light, evoking a calm and contemplative space. My oil paintings are built up in meticulous layers of paint and glazes over many months to achieve an depth and luminosity, harmony and balance.
Now living in Dubai, I have begun a new series of work responding to my environment, sense of place and quality of light in the UAE.
I have found inspiration observing the imtimate details in my local environment with the dramatic play of light and shadows, accentuating the organic and sensual nature of plantlife and Arabic Lanterns.

Kathryn Ryan Seed Pod1&2, charcoal on paper framed $2,500. AUD

Since November 2011 I have been working full time in my Dubai studio developing this new series on Light & Shadow in charcoal and oil painting. My charcoals are built up in layers of mark making and rubbing away to leave the essence of the evocative nature of light and shadows. As an expat living in the UAE, I am seeing everything with fresh eyes, noticing all the beauty and details in my new surroundings, taking the detail out of its everyday existence and highlighting the qualities of light, mystery and mood.

 

Video: Discussing my exhibition with No White Walls, Abu Dhabi UAE

VIDEO : Shadow & Light Charcoals at No White Walls , Abu Dhabi

Here is a short video taken at The Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi, where I am exhibiting with No White Walls . This is a brief intro to the new series of charcoal drawings I have made in response to living in the UAE... focusing on the quality of light & dramatic shadows, with intimate studies of seed pods & leaves & their shadows, Arabic Lanterns and shadows of the Bougainvillea leaves...
The exhibition is running until Jan 1st 2014 and is by a group of 7 professional expat artists, all responding in unique ways to their experiences of living in the UAE.
The exhibition can be viewed daily form 9am-9pm at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi