May 30 – June 23, 2007
Aucocisco Galleries is
delighted to present “Reflections,” an exhibition of acrylic on panel
paintings by Vivien Russe. In this new body of work, Russe celebrates a
recent influence on her work, her new studio surroundings next to the
Saccarappa Falls on the Presumpscot River. Russe interprets the
transcendental philosophy that spiritual realities exist beyond present
experience, or in psychological terms: “what we see at any given time has
inherent in it, multiple other associations, memories, thoughts and ideas,
tangible or otherwise.” While the falls and river next to her studio are
not easily visible from the high-mounted industrial windows, she finds
that “the presence of the river, and all the possibilities it embodies
permeates the space.” It is the absence of the view that Russe finds
stimulating, reflecting her interest in provoking thoughtful contemplation
and multi-layered meanings.
Russe’s palette and
brush-handling have a bright clarity. Her carefully rendered subjects are
pristine and elegant, resting in quietly immaculate settings. Russe uses
the visual representations of reflection and transparency to correspond to
their more esoteric and symbolic meanings. Utilizing a series of mundane,
every-day objects, Russe imbues them with layers of meaning. Through
direct representation combined with open interpretations and evocative
pairings, Russe’s paintings suggest poetry through their correlations and
correspondences. In “Reflection” a glass of water reflected in a mirror
questions our perception. “Flight” depicts a minimalist still life of a
honey jar on one panel with a perfect blue sky on the other. In the three
panel “River Reveries,” an empty doorway, a mason jar and clock, and a
rushing waterfall are brought together, the triptych’s title recalling
daydreams or meditations.
Pattern and association suggest
relationships and meanings; allowing the viewer to provide their own
interpretation to these juxtapositions is an intentional device for
engaging the imagination. Russe’s visual vocabulary includes homey and
mundane objects of domestic life, such as alarm clocks and mason jars
filled with fruit. However, these objects can also be read as symbols of
time, the transience of life, and repositories of memory. With the
proximity of the falls and river, Russe captures these eternal references
to passage, process, spirit and solitude.
Vivien Russe studied at
Radcliffe College, School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, and the
Skowhegan School, where she received the Bingham Painting Fellowship in
1991. She has worked with Peregrine Press and Vinalhaven Press. Russe
has an extensive history of exhibiting in Maine, and this is her first
solo exhibition with Aucocisco.
