Dark Forest 

Eclectica Contemporary is pleased to present “Dark Forest”; new oil paintings by Cathy Layzell

Entering the Dark Forest, we find the fractal beauty of trees and mossy ravines reflected in deep waters. Small crisp flickering marks merge and dissolve on the picture’s surface, whilst Layzell’s abstract canvases never lose their characteristic deep recession of space.
Large swathes of vigorously moving, veiled and dripping paint suggest the movement, patterns and texture of rock, plant matter and water.

Like Japanese calligraphy with its free and fluid letters, Layzell’s work takes on the emotional gravity of a place; its memory, pulse, rawness and power. Her deep connection to nature and compelling use of colour and gesture to describe light on water reveal a life-long engagement with the legacy of Claude Monet.

Titles such as “Gold in the shade” allude to the metaphorical intent behind the work; the integration of darker shadow aspects of Self and the true light found in darkness. These timeless works celebrate primal Nature as a persisting and vital force in our hyper modern and technological times.

Layzell was a returning resident Artist at the Painting School of Montmirail in Toulouse, France between 2003 and 2007. She completed a post-graduate diploma in Fine Art at the Michaelis School of Fine Art in 2013. The artist has exhibition extensively in local and international shows and fairs notably the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, FNB Art Joburg, Turbine Art Fair and Irma Stern Museum.