Paintings

Kaye McGarva's work seeks to reveal the embodied nature of vision.

McGarva's paintings hover between abstract and representational art, playing on the great artistic tradition of Trompe L'oeil, translated literally as "Deceive the eye". Her intention is to present the viewer with something uncanny, familiar but strange, prompting a gut reaction, a sense of unease within the viewer.

Eschewing traditional materials and methods, McGarva manipulates the canvas before spraying with layers of paint, capturing the incidental shadows that form at a particular moment in time and space. Her approach to painting is to minimise the hand of the artist, allowing chance and serendipity to shape the final outcome, with results that are as beautiful as they are unpredictable. Her work raises questions about the very nature of painting.

SHADOW PLAY 2016

Through making these works, I have discovered the way to depict darkness, is to focus on light.

Reflecting On Light, 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 123 x 154cm SOLD

Ascension 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 123 x 169cm (Not available)

Green Goddess, 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 61 x 61cm (SOLD)

Searching For You, 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 91 x 91cm

Heart And Soul, One Will Burn, 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 91 x 91 cm

surface TENSION 2015/16

In these works I have introduced red, vertical lines to disrupt the picture plane. The colour and strong geometric element form a counterpoint to the monochrome soft, organic folds of the background creating an interesting tension.

Aftershock, Wilt Thou Be My Valentine, 2016, Acrylic paint on Canvas, 123 x 169cm

Storm, 2016, Acrylic paint on Canvas, 91 x 152cm (SOLD)

New Perspectives 2015

Sectioning off part of the canvas allows form to be revealed in the boundaries between the creased and flat areas. I have found this offers a more representational reading of my paintings.

In this series I have played with the picture plane, tilting, skewing and bending it, to alter the perspective completely.

Untitled, 2015, Acrylic paint on canvas, 91.4 x 111.7cm

Untitled, 2015, Acrylic paint on canvas, 91.4 x 91.4cm (SOLD)

Shift 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 91 x91cm

Square Off, 2016, Acrylic on canvas, duct tape, 91 x91cm

Creases 2014/15

Creases are a metaphor for being in the world, registering the traces of our existence.

These large scale abstract paintings are designed to elicit a physical response from the viewer in an effort to bring awareness to the subjective nature of vision and the body's role in interpreting what it sees.

Red Fold, 2014, Acrylic paint on canvas, 123 x 169cm (SOLD)

From on high 2015, Acrylic on canvas, 91 x 125cm (Not available)

Orange, 2015, Acrylic on Canvas, 129 x 129 cm (SOLD)

Copper Creases, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, 91 x 91 cm

Red 2015, Acrylic on Canvas, 91 x 170 cm (SOLD)

Colour Loop (3D) 2015, Acrylic paint on canvas, 122 x 183cm

Champagne, 2015, Acrylic on canvas, 91 x 125cm (SOLD)