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Natural Light: Valta Us Valta Us's newest series of oil paintings, done between the fall and summer of 1999, derive from watercolor paintings done directly from nature. The spontaneous properties and quality of light intrinsic to the watercolor medium do not so readily translate into oils. The purity of color on white paper, white which often peeks through, is foreign to oils. In Natural Light, Us treats his canvases as white paper. The artist leaves spaces between colors, creating a matrix of shapes that look much like cut and pasted colored paper. The paintings are simultaneously reminiscent of Matisse's work, as well as of the naïve and playful innocence of drawings in a child's coloring book. Us has managed to create a surface in oils that somehow retains the freshness inherent in watercolors, as well as a certain luminosity so unusual in oils, achieved via the intricate pattern created by the white outlined shapes. Although the artist was inspired by watercolors in his treatment of the canvases for this series of paintings, the solidity of the oil medium nonetheless makes it impossible to achieve the exact qualities found in watercolor. At their best, many of these paintings shimmer and dance in a manner akin to the effects of stained glass. This disparity between intent and medium creates an intriguing tension in the work, a strange pull that adds a certain psychological and emotional dimension to otherwise playful pieces. If you are interested in any of these works, feel free to email geeta@creiger-dane.com. The navigation buttons on the upper right will take you to the top (this page), previous, and next page in this show. You may click on our logo at any time to return to our home page. We hope you enjoy your visit, and invite you to sign our Guest Book. |
 
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