Tim Haley and Robin Mayor are presenting their collaborative exhibition “Where We Wandered”, at Artful : The Gallery in Courtenay, BC. These two accomplished artists differ in their artistic production; Haley’s primary focus is figurative sculpture while Mayor anchors himself in landscape. The combination of two- and three-dimensional work can present an intriguing challenge, utilizing the liminal space between realms to create a dynamic relationship, in this case between person and place.

 

Mayor’s interest in landscape goes well beyond the representational; he only recently identifies himself as a landscape painter. Seeing the world as context through which he filters his experience extends to the very surface on which he paints. His cutting and collage of the canvas brings the painting surface itself into his exploration of environment. Mayor’s references to historical and cultural contexts adds complexity to these works. Mayor’s large canvas “Clearcut”, with strong diagonals of broken logs and stumps, references Paolo Uccello’s (1435-1460) Battle of San Romano, with its lances, standards, horses, and battleground chaos, and blends with the current narrative of Mayor’s life, seeking accommodation.

 

Moving beyond purely representational indicators – a tree, a duck, the sea – the filters of Mayor’s intelligence offer an expansion beyond the identification and recognition of things; allowing our sight to connect with our imaginations. Mayor’s purpose in painting is to connect with what an environment means, to initiate contact with the viewer, and inspire a deeper attention than simply looking. Mayor clarifies (or disrupts) meaning by filtering the irrelevant and inconsequential from his vision. This process matters the most while he is painting; his fascination with the quality and essence of paint always holds over and above the image he is working with. If he deems the effort successful, he can let go and leave the work to speak for itself. And if not? Painted over or being reworked becomes its fate.

 

Haley’s figures on the other hand, exist within the context of their environment, morphing in response and resonance to it. Haley’s artistic output is the perpetual motion of life in transition. His evolution as an artist is marked by his relentless curiosity with technical exploration and a decades long, gentle drift from representation to abstraction. Haley likens his process to chaos theory, where the approximate present cannot predict the approximate future. For Haley, the organic process of art creation incorporates the paradox of chaos theory; that which arises from chaos, defies the prediction of disordered uncertainty, and resolves with elegance. The more abstracted Haley’s figures become, the more humanity they contain.

 

Haley desires to increase people’s appreciation and understanding of three-dimensional work. Challenges excite Haley’s curiosity, and as a result his technical expertise spans casting and carving with many materials, jewelry making, and the building and repair of both clocks and musical instruments. For Haley, the acquisition of specialized materials skills provides access to his emotional experience.

 

The deep respect and quiet familiarity of the artists, both with each other and their bodies of work, informs this unfolding narrative of person and place from a place of curiosity. Join them in their wonder… as they wander.