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Downs
Downs
paintings
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Downs begins each painting by sanding and applying five layers of smoothed gesso to each board. A detailed underdrawing defines the shapes while pigments and glazes build the composition. The final image is covered in a layer of finely granulated charcoal, sealed with an isolation coating and covered in several layers of varnish.
Downs’ repertoire
includes sleek, bright still lifes, dream-like landscapes, pseudo-comic
caricatures and fictitious cityscapes. Many of these images contain
elements which tend to hover in an empty, ambiguous space. Shapes seem to
bulge slightly out of their two-dimensional confines. The backgrounds
become a container in which the charged, luminous objects are anchored.
There is a sense of congruity among parts; each object is precisely
weighted and held in equilibrium. Counterpoints such as architecture and
nature, inside and outside, illusion and reality are in a relationship of
poise - not opposition.
The nature of three-dimensional space depicted on a flat surface is the
heart of Downs’ paintings and he handles the theme with flair and
originality. The crisp colors seem to show the sheer love of his medium.
This passion sometimes results in tension, for example a light green
combines with a muted red to create an unusual harmony.
What makes these paintings work is precisely this sort of strange pictorial juxtaposition of color, form and sense of light. Working only by hand, applying layers of color, charcoal and glazes, Downs does not bother with technical wizardry or mechanical means to produce an original painting.
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