Coming to Light
In July of 2017, I moved into a second-floor studio, facing east, in central Edmonton. As I unpacked, I found plexi-glass sample chips in various colours. I strung them on a wire and hung the piece like a mobile in front of one of the windows. The coloured transparent effect of the overlapping chips intrigued me and I started to make small folded sculptural shapes of painted thin Lexan. Replicating the fine folds in paint, which is suggestive of perspective lines, became my primary goal. The first paintings had a landscape quality but quickly morphed into abstract compositions. Then, COVID-19 hit and I stopped painting. After three restless and reflective months, I began to visit the studio to study the new work. My visual memory bank had cleared and I saw the paintings with new eyes. To my surprise, I discovered new and unique paintings. They are a fusion of free form acrylic paint applications, drawn from the past, and fine perspective like marks inspired by the plexi-glass sample chips. They offer the observer a limitless journey of colour and space.
2020 The year of COVID: Giuseppe Albi
