SOUTHARD REID, London
6 June – 18 July 2015
Southard Reid is proud to present Ann Craven’s third solo show at the gallery.
Untitled (Palettes: Naked, Tagged), 2013-14 is based around Craven’s Untitled (Palette) paintings, the works that are the starting point of her cyclical, time-based painting practice. The following is extracted from Untitled (Palettes, Moons, Birds, Flowers), 2014, published by the Ann Craven Studio on the occasion of this exhibition:
“In November and December 2014, I showed the small Moon, Bird and Flower paintings (which I call my ‘2014 Laboratory’) along with the large Bird and Moon paintings at Hannah Hoffman Gallery in Los Angeles. In the summer of 2015, I am showing all the Untitled (Palettes) that were used to make the Lab and larger paintings, at Southard Reid in London.
At Southard Reid, the Untitled (Palette) paintings are on the wall in the order that they were made. My palettes are stretched canvases and they contain the dried leftover paint that I used to mix the colors of the paintings – Moon, Bird and Flower paintings – large Bird and Moon paintings – from 2013 and 2014.
I use stretched canvases for palettes because its easier to mix color on a canvas than on paper palettes, and two 24 x 18 inch canvases fit perfectly side by side on my studio table. They are strong and sit steady on the table so I can mix and not worry about anything. It’s always been like this.
I title the paintings Untitled (Palettes) because I feel they are no longer palettes once I finish mixing the color for the Moon or Bird or Flower or Deer paintings.
I mark them with a quick drawing on the top of the palette it helps me to remember what I just painted but it also adds something special to the process for me. It allows me to call to mind the color I mixed – which makes it more like a recall or a repeat of that moment. And sometimes I leave the Untitled (Palettes) naked because they look good without a drawing.
I think that the Untitled (Palettes) function as memory.
They are an echo of the time spent making a painting and a ricochet of the moment just past. They are an innocent by-stander to the memory of what was painted. And I can revisit these colors when I need them. It’s like revisiting an old friend.
It is hard for me to show these paintings because they are so close to me. Showing them always makes me nervous because I feel like I am exposing myself to everyone. But that’s ok, because sometimes things have to be hard to make the difference.”
– Ann Craven, May 25, 2015
