 Butterfly Set #2, 2005 Oil paint on sized paper 22.5 x 30 inches each Rob Craigie Wonder In his sixth exhibition at Haines Gallery, Rob Craigie will exhibit a new body of paintings on paper that resemble butterflies. The installation of these stunning paintings created in varying sizes, methodically pinned to the wall or encased in a specimen-like frame reminds one of an entomological exhibition in a science museum. Over the past fifteen years Craigie has created artworks that scrutinize the natural world in a unique manner. Utilizing sculpture, drawing, video, and now painting, Craigie delves into observing, recording and categorizing the world around us - his curiosity remaining unsated. The materials that Craigie chooses to use, however, are not necessarily intended to accurately represent, in this case, butterflies. Instead, the paint conjures up an insect-like form by minor interference and chance. The thick ridges of paint caused by pulling the two halves of paper apart suggest veins within the wings adding texture and depth. As the viewer gazes deeper these Rorschach-like inkblots induce a variety of imagery beyond a butterfly. Faces, eyes and abstract forms enliven the viewer's imagination and wonder. Alongside the paintings will be Craigie's most recent video compilation entitled "50 Water Samples" (collected with a video camera). This new work, similar in format to earlier video works by Craigie, presents 50 individual segments or scenes that comprise the whole. The focus of this 58-minute video is the world's most abundant substance - water. From swimming pools to puddles to great oceans in exotic lands, Craigie has recorded minute scenes of aesthetic grandeur - relishing in the beauty of a bubble, a reflection or a wave. As much of Craigie's work, this categorization is scientific in form but not in function as the choice of scenes is random. In the segment entitled "Finding Face" the viewer is presented by ripples on the surface of a swimming pool that morph the lines in the bottom below to resemble a human face. "Snowman Orbiter" is a close-up clip of the artist slowly rotating the camera around the head of a snowman. One is certainly left with the impression of complexity and diversity within our wide world. Rob Craigie's work is in the collections of the San Jose Museum of Art, the di Rosa Preserve in Napa, California and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. He lives and works in the Bay Area. A "poster/map" with an essay by Michael Klein, Director of the International Sculpture Center in New Jersey, accompanies this exhibition. Exhibition: February 16 - March 25, 2006 Gallery hours: Tues-Fri 10:30am - 5:30pm, Sat 10:30am - 5:00pm Haines Gallery 49 Geary Street, Suite 540 USA-San Francisco, CA 94108 Telephone +1 415 397-8114 Fax +1 415 397-8115 Email info@hainesgallery.com www.hainesgallery.com |
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