Sarah Irvin
Sarah Irvin "Outbreak" - Abstract Painting on Paper
2015

Name: Sarah Irvin "Outbreak" - Abstract Painting on Paper
Brand: Sarah Irvin
Price: 2500 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Sarah Irvin Outbreak, 2015 ink on Yupo 26 x 40 in. This abstract ink painting on Yupo paper plays with transparency and color in shades blue and gray. "In this work I write cursive text on a smooth surface with ink and then use a squeegee to destroy the marks I have created. The ink spreads across surface into a new composition. The resulting marks are the remnant of a written word, but the meaning has been confused and hidden. I am exploring a visual representation of thought while contemplating the limits of words as signifiers. Overall, my work is based on explorations of autobiography, family history, my genetic heritage, and memory. I've created systems within which I operate to represent these different concepts and specific histories or memories. In the current work I have focused on hidden text as a representation of memory, the abilities and limitations of the mind and the simultaneous power and shortcomings of language." -Sarah Irvin Sarah Irvin creates dynamic, rich images that contain an activated freshness while ruminating on the strength and limitations of language and memory. Her process for her ink series reflects the shifting nature of memory, the evolution of language on an individual and societal level, and how the dependability of both can be lost over time. Irvin begins with ink and a non-absorbent Yupo paper, writing words and phrases thickly in expressive cursive. Once written, Irvin takes squeegees and destroys the words, allowing the ink to slip and spread across the paper, forming new marks. Remnants of the words sometimes remain visible, but their meaning can’t be deciphered. The initial phrases are derived from personal family memories, Irvin’s daughter’s first words, and concerns about our culture’s use of language. By obscuring them, Irvin evokes both the power and shortcomings of language. She questions the ability of the individual to accurately make use of these words, and our society to interpret them correctly, subverting the very techniques used to record our language through writing and publishing. The immediacy of the finished image evokes an emotional sensibility, as if destroying the words has left only the feeling of the moment or concept they described. Sarah Irvin holds a BA from University of Georgia and an MFA from George Mason University (2016). Her work has been exhibited with the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, Kennedy-Douglass Center for the Arts, and the San Angelo Public Arts Commission, among others. Her work is found in both private and corporate collections, including the University of Richmond, Quirk Hotel, and Try-Me Urban Restoration Project.

Creator:

Sarah Irvin (American)

Creation Year:

2015

Dimensions:

Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 40 in (101.6 cm)

Medium:

Ink,Paper

Movement & Style:

Abstract

Period:

2010-