Topography Examines Lay of the Land - and Heart (back)
by Becca Ramspott
The earth gives us many ways to trace time and circumstance. At the center of tree trunks, rings count back the years and dark slashes show us where lightening struck long ago. We find fossils and understand that life began long before our first birthdays. And we create our own cause-and-effect moments with the land - through farming, irrigation and other human endeavors. The landscape also becomes our own personal setting for soulful adventures, like road trips and long hikes in the woods. The Arteco exhibition "Topography" examines this intersection between physical geography and spiritual experience by pairing Jean Barnes Downs and Terry Bachman, two artists who speak similar artistic languages in different media using sun-drenched browns, greens and burgundies.
Downs makes monotypes with a quiet strength that glow with patina-like colors. Crop-circle-like spheres and other shapes are lodged between the faded folds of what feels like a desert sunset. Downs' work frequently features images of a labyrinth, a well-known example of a place where people seek truth and reflection by interacting with the space and earth around them. Contemplative and comforting,beautiful and curious. Bachman creates contemporary furniture and sculptural wood paintings that combine a puzzle-piece charm with sleek, satiny sophistication. He approaches the organic nature and warmth of wood with the precision of an architect and the visual perception of an abstract painter, "Topography" includes several strong pieces by Bachman which have drawn their inspiration from songs by Bob Dylan - "No Direction Home", "Desolation Row" and "Highway 61" are three such examples. "Highway 61" in particular, with its seductive curves and smooth, twisting surface, has every element of two lovers with only destiny to guide them. As Downs does with paint on paper, Bachman fashions wood in three dimensions to summon aerial images of rivers with shadowy, gleaming ribbons of blue-green nestled between sculpted shores. Both artists celebrate the quiet moments we experience with the landscape and invite questions about our ever-evolving relationship with the natural world.