Dates
This is the second solo exhibition at the Michael Gibson Gallery for Calgary abstract painter Mark Dicey. Painting, the history of painting, and especially the history and development of abstraction are Dicey’s passions.
For this exhibition, Dicey set out, specifically, to paint a body of work that were variations of similar sized canvases. That restriction allowed him the freedom to paint unrehearsed, in an instinctual performance, where action, memory, and materials merged.
His natural environment also became an influence with the paintings in “Confluence”. In Calgary, the Bow and Elbow rivers run through the centre of the city. Dicey has used the organic shape of the connecting rivers as both a metaphor and also as a geometric shape that is repeated throughout the paintings. Though the river is used as an image for Dicey, there is no specific narrative element with the paintings. Rather, they are based on a collection of observations, metal notes and a lifetime spent studying abstraction.
He states:
The title of my new exhibition is ‘Confluence’, an enchanting word that is significant to me for a number of reasons.
The city I live in is Calgary, Alberta where two rivers, the Bow and the Elbow flow together. The confluence of the two is a wonderfully physical visual that I think about and metaphorically relate to in my painting practice – a convergence of organic and geometric vocabulary. Conscious / unconscious exploration.
The thought process and working methods I use to pursue my singular interest in Abstraction are an assemblage of the materials I use and my touch or handling of it. Shape, colour, line, surface and edge are brought together through the interactive painting process juxtaposing both geometric and organic elements. How the paint is applied and manipulated is of utmost importance – at times, free hand, free flowing shape, line and edge, and in contrast, tight precise hard edge line and shape.
Each painting in this body of work informed and influenced each other. Instinctively I pursued the directions allowing the response, give and take, arising from the process. Like the flow of two bodies of water converging, mingling, to create one even more powerful form.
To read the artist’s biography or to see a sneak peak of the exhibition, visit www.gibsongallery.com
Book appointment to visit the exhibit in person HERE
