Doug Kirton The Cadillac Palace Theatre in the Rain, 2007, Oil on canvas, 106.5" x 84"
I've admired Doug Kirton's paintings for many years. In fact, at University of Guelph, he sparked a breakthrough in my approach to painting. He was a masters student at the time, and I was taking my first painting class with him. I loved the way he spoke of the physical properties of painting --- about the transparent glaze interupted by the chalky scumple, the hard edge diffusing to a blur, or the optical buzz from layered colours.
At the time, I was very driven by subject and narrative in my work. A short visit to Doug's studio convinced me that just as much "meaning" is held in the multiplicity of ways paint can be coaxed onto a surface.
So, I really enjoyed seeing Doug's new show last night. Hypnotic compound spaces, where city lights reflect and refract through glass and rain. Each work is a visual puzzle, both illusion and abstraction. There is a fascinating tension in these works --- the imagery would have lent itself to a wet treatment of transparent glazes and drippy marks. Instead, the glistening lights and reflective surfaces are made from thick stringy scumbles of opaque oils.
Beyond the visual play of these works, there is a sense of melancholy. I found myself alone, in a hotel loby, in a city far from home. It is a place that purports to be glamorous, but is found to be empty. The dark blues and un-nameable grey tones create a profound and beautiful sadness.
Perhaps there is a critique of the glamorous metropolitan streets. But it is not cynical. These works are made with too much subtlety and ambiguity. The painterly attention, its quietly throbbing energy, demands our attention.
Doug Kirton's exhibition, "Still Water and Rain," at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery.
There's on online publication about the show here.