I just came across these paintings by Deborah Jane Batt today. I love the colors and compositions. They connote the idea of aerial landscapes (which I’ve mentioned before here, here, and here). I’m drawn to the graphic quality of maps and aerial photographs, and these paintings add another layer of whimsy and color to the subject.
Ms. Batt says of her work: “Although my paintings have become increasingly non-objective over the years, all my work still originates from the idea of community, the towns we build, and the way we shape and destroy the rural landscape.”
I love that the shapes in these paintings are slightly off, imperfect rectangles. In my own work I struggle with never being able to achieve the level of precision that I want. But when I see how beautiful flaws can be (in art and in life), I’m reminded that it is in those moments of imperfection that we find the humanity in our work.
I wonder if the quiet beauty of the rural landscapes Ms. Batt depicts is too harmonious to clearly convey the destruction she points out in her statement—or maybe I have latched too tightly onto this conflict. I do love to see strong contrast within works of art. These contradictions are what makes some artists’ work so memorable, and I know from experience that it’s not an easy balance to achieve.
