‘Exploring Paris' / Oil on Canvas 40”x30”
Press Release
This special exhibition presents a new painting collection by contemporary impressionist artist Christine Lashley who will be in attendance at the opening reception on Friday, September 3rd, 2021 from 5 pm to 8 pm. This solo show will be on exhibit September 3-30, 2021, at Principle Gallery, Charleston.
For Lashley, the new works of over 15 paintings depicts a variety of depicts marsh scenes, beaches, and the beautiful play of light on buildings with scenes of Charleston and Paris. Her special interests in this solo exhibition has focused on the natural elements of the world around her and the human experience.
Christine states: “Transparency and layers in the environment have been the focus of my recent paintings. Nature elements of water, foliage, and the earth's geology are important in my art; but urban structures, such as glass, and buildings also inspire my creativity.
The act of painting on location “en plein air” has changed somewhat for me. I used to try to make a final painting as quickly as possible and think of it as done. Now, I use my field studies to capture color notes and harvest information. I am mindful of the experience and may abstract this later in the studio using memory to distill an idea. Of course, I still create outdoor paintings (I have done plein air competitions for 10 years. However, removing the expectations of always making a final work have pushed my creativity in the studio: to see what I can remember, to design better paintings, and to plan for a certain size if needed. A byproduct of this process has been the creation of larger artwork to fit a concept, such as the vast feeling of the marsh.
My work moves from realism and tangible objects to abstraction and emotion. Even when creating a painting I shift between quick, intuitive marks and then let an artwork ‘rest' to carefully consider each future brush mark. I often ask myself “what is the painting trying to say,” or “what does it need?” These questions are often found by going back to my studies and my memory versus a photograph, which seems to record too many details. The abstraction in my work therefore is informed by realism and the human experience, not as arbitrary shapes or colors.”
