"Into the Woods" - An exhibition of paintings and drawings by Catherine Charnock
North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford, 16-28 June 2011
Click here to listen to live interview on BBC Radio Oxford 22 June 2011. Catherine Charnock in conversation with Jo Thoenes
The interview starts about 70 minutes into the programme and is available to listen again until 28/6/11.
"Into the Woods" contrasts wild landscapes, particularly forests, with the urban spaces in which we live.
A major focus of Catherine’s practice is the act of painting itself. She is interested in the relationship between representation and painterly abstraction; the tension between depth and surface; and the dialogue between the paint and its canvas support.
In her paintings, Catherine seeks to capture the essence of a place, and to convey how it makes her feel. Signs and symbolic objects play a role in some of the works, adding layers of meaning, playfulness and irony. Entrances and exits, belonging and escaping, being free and being controlled, are themes that underlie the urban works, as well as an exploration of the balance between the natural and urban worlds, and how we can find beauty within our built environments.
This exhibition is as much about the creative process as it is about the paintings themselves. For Catherine, experimentation, both with process and form, is extremely important. Each new work is a step into the unknown, a journey ‘into the woods’.
Catherine Charnock studied painting at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town (1996-1999).
Gallery Hours: Monday-Saturday, 11am-4pm
Admission free
Tel. 01865-319450
The North Wall
South Parade
Summertown
Oxford
OX2 7NN
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