Online Exhibition Dates: June 23rd - July 7th
Online Sales Launch: Sunday June 23rd 8pm
Through exploring dramatic tonal contrasts and examining the balance between light and shade, Nell Symonds creates dynamic still life portrayals. Composed of assorted potteries, summery lemons and curvaceous pears and pomegranates, her subjects are often selected for their shapely proportions, intrinsic colour variations, luminosity and ability to cast compelling shadows.
Commencing the creative process by exposing her objects to various lighting manipulations, Nell photographs these arrangements extensively against darkened backdrops, to ascertain the colour combination and configuration she will reproduce on the canvas. The imagery is drawn directly onto canvas or board, with the largest portions of colour work typically deposited within the first pass. The majority of the tones she achieves in oils are bold and lustrous, and a direct result of her desire to discern more colour in the confides of her composition than she initially perceived in the earlier stages.
Distinct facets of Nell’s still lifes hold highly personal and symbolic connotations. The presence of negative spaces and much of the shadow work reflects periods of solitude and introspective internal monologues that accompany her introvertive personality. The inclusion of vintage pottery and cast-off ceramics are considered instruments in which to express the long-term passage of time, both within the wider world and her own, and with it, shifts in her subjective appreciation and perspective.
