The Vitality of Things

Deep in the forest somewhere in the Waikato, the vitality of sprouting native tree seedlings, the lush greenery and birdsong were all part of the making of this body of paintings by Amanda Watson. Days of laying canvas over organic surfaces have produced a foundation on which to paint these canvases, they embody the artist’s encounters with the land and the act of painting.

The Vitality of Things

15 May - 8 June 2024

Laree Payne Gallery, Hamilton, New Zealand.

“It is unlikely that Watson's works would be identified or described as landscape paintings if they were happened upon without context. Despite this however, they are more landscape painting than anything else. Made with and within environs of significance (to the artist), Watson seeks to capture various locales by literally mapping, tracing and rubbing them onto her canvas, a process which has been likened to plein air, yet contemporary, revitalised, more interesting. This "...balancing act between different experiences of a site, between representation and abstraction, indexical and gestural mark-making..." (as described by E. Hanfling and linked below) is Watson's territory, one which she has been working with for more than a decade now to create what has become a highly unique and powerful way of relating with place”.

[Excerpt retrieved from Laree Payne Gallery]