An exhibition showcasing a complementary duo; James Hallinan and Julie Lawrence share a reflective temperament on the impact of their body and mind through experiencing nature, solace and changes in environment. Their abstract figures boxed into rooms or distant on vast beaches are obscured, creating opportunity for the viewer to find a character and themselves within these works.
“I walk every day through local woods and heathland and am fascinated by the way experiences of changing light and weather influence memory and perception. As I contemplate the movement of my own shadow passing through that space, I consider how this is transformed by memory too.”
Julie explains more about her work; “The paintings selected for this exhibition are a response to my walking shadow; my shifting, momentary intuitions, where light and shadow improvise unanticipated harmonies experienced on this simple daily walk. Using predominantly pastels and water-based media, my work reveals my shadow as a transitional, ambiguous figure moving through space – an unresolved tension within the landscape that evokes the fleeting mixture of memory and perception. My instinctive working process involves building up layers of wet and dry media on a small scale. The ambiguous images that emerge strive to invite the viewer into a quiet psychological territory and a liminal space which hovers between nostalgic association and something unknown.”
Julie Lawrence is a Wirral based artist and her work references the spiritual painting language of the Visionary Landscape Tradition. She holds a BA (First Class) and an MA in Fine Art from Chester University. Her most recent exhibitions have included ‘The Pastel Society Annual Open’ exhibitions at the Mall Galleries in London, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Here she was also awarded the 2023 Yoshimoto prize . She is also pleased to have recently contributed to ‘The Drawing paper Show ‘ publication and exhibition and also Platforms Project in Athens. Her work is currently included in The Lady Lever Art Gallery artist spotlight on five female landscape artists working on the Wirral today.
James Hallinan is an artist based in Liverpool who primarily works on canvas using oils, acrylics, and pastels. James’ work has been featured in galleries in Ireland, the UK, and Mexico. James holds a BA in Visual Communication and a PGcert in Fine Art from the University for the Creative Arts London. James’s current work deals with themes surrounding heightened periods of emotions and the effects it has both on the mind and body while reflecting on the root cause. Using the body as a focal point in his work, James creates a visual language that externalises these internal experiences using symbolism throughout to represent past experiences or present beliefs.
Since moving to Liverpool James has used colour and composition discovered and documented while wandering around his local area which are then developed further in the studio. James uses this process to connect to new surroundings, unpack the emotional experience of emigrating from Ireland while drawing on the historical past and present of the area as well as his own. This can be seen in his current series of works, such as No Parking, Identity and Hill Street. The latter two along with the series Rooms are represented in the exhibition Figures in Space.
Figures in Space
23 August – 5 October 2024 (Opening times: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am-6pm)
dot-art Gallery
14 Queen Avenue,
Castle Street, Liverpool
L2 4TX
