Contemporary: Lotus Lien, Lynda Litchfield, Fred Lynch

McGowan Fine Art announces the opening of “Contemporary” featuring the work of Lotus Lien, Lynda Litchfield and Fred Lynch. The show will run from September 7- October 8, with an artists’ reception on September 10 from 5 to 7 PM.

“Minimalist work is not always as popular as it should be,” says gallery director Sarah Chaffee. “I think people believe that there isn’t enough to look at or be engaged with. This show, featuring three different interpretations of a minimalist aesthetic, is quite engaging, but requires a little work from the viewer. What initially seems quite simple or monochromatic is actually filled with subtle details and color shifts. I thought by bringing three different artists together to address minimalism that it would allow people to compare and contrast.”

Fred Lynch, of Maine, has shifted from pure two dimensional painting to a more sculptural format. He uses oil and enamel paints on MDO, which is a two inch thick board giving the paintings lots of dimensions. But his technique doesn’t stop at painting. He incises into the enamel surface creating intricate patterns. Oil paint wiped across these surfaces is caught in the incised lines giving them a quality of a printed image. The patterns are an investigation and organization of space. “It is my feeling that my paintings are about systems that aid in producing new and seemingly countless shape variations,” says Lynch.

Lynda Litchfield, also of Maine, works in the ancient medium of encaustic. This is a wax based paint which Ms. Litchfield takes full advantage of. Her translucent surfaces glow providing a luminous surface for her lyrical lines. In “Diagram D (Echo)” a scalloped line moves vertically across a sea glass green and earth colored surface. The painter’s hand is evident in the slight overlap of strokes where a third shade of color is in evidence. These pieces are extremely quiet- even contemplative. Ms Litchfield’s lines provide the map for the eyes to skate over the surface.
Lotus Lien, a recent graduate of New Hampshire Institute of Art makes sculptures that are reminiscent of the cairns found along New England’s hiking routes. Her stacked stones are created with porcelain and smoke fired with natural materials such as seaweed or banana peels. The burning of these items creates an uneven surface color of the richest, natural hues: maroon, brown, gray and blush. These orbs are then carefully stacked on a support to create a tension between size, balance and color. A defiance of gravity is their defining trait but the round forms are sensuous enough to make them a visual delight.