The Painter and the Glassmaker
3-31 March 2016
Soul Gallery
33 Barton St
Hamilton
The combination of Tocker’s cast glass pieces alongside de Groot’s painterly, abstracted landscapes make a complementary pairing.
In Tocker’s collection of ‘moments’, figures set upon suitcases may be travelling to new places, waiting patiently for a companion or perhaps have been left behind. Tocker’s figures are universal, in that they are not bound by specific identities - their form is simplified to a representation of humanity to more directly convey broader ideas about relationships, memory and connection.
Tocker cleverly uses pattern and negative space to indicate domestic interiors in her impressive ‘room’ works. These highly technical glass pieces feature thoughtfully placed elements – a ladder, a bed, a window – all with a central figure. “I like viewers to find a little of themselves in the works and I think of myself as a story teller who doesn’t give away the ending.”
De Groot shares this idea of not giving too much away, describing her new paintings as “walking a line between suggestion and representation - there is more ambiguity than before.” Enjoying the tension between realism and expression, de Groot’s recent works are an exciting evolution in her practice.
De Groot paints en plein air making field studies as an immediate response to the landscape, from which larger works are developed in the studio. Using expressive strokes, de Groot allows paint to wash, drip and layer, sometimes scraping it back to reveal the substrate. The studio works exude the same freshness and immediacy of the outdoor studies.
In their work, both artists deal with the idea of recollection. “Our works come from memories of an actual situation or place that is transformed over time by the mind and hand,” says Tocker.
De Groot and Tocker demonstrate masterful skill in their respective media resulting in beautifully executed works.
