The Remnants Series

by BArry Lorne

ARTIST STATEMENT

*Remnant definition: a small remaining quality of something or trace remaining.

Last year I created a series of work titled ‘Together in Isolation’ during the first wave of the pandemic. This series was in reaction to the shutdown of the world as we knew it and a time to rethinking our priorities as well as reshaping the need to feel a part of a community.

‘Remnants’ is a continuation of that isolation series but is much more about introspection and taking the time to pause and reflect on the past two years.

To achieve this sense of retrospective I decide to use a limited palette of muted colors and minimal iconography. All the paintings were created using the same scale and color schemes so that repetition could become an important element in the work. Repetition is like a mantra of meditative imagery, it can be soothing and disturbing at the same time. I liked this idea of contrasting both aspects of repetition to help develop an uneasy alliance between tension and balance. The iconography used for the remnant series also relates to some of the earlier work but is much more about the reduction of imagery to better imply a story. I like the idea of using imagery not for what it is but what it could be, we need to bring back imagination into our lives. The sanded wallpaper on all the panels in the series was used to reference the passage of time and our collective memories. We are not far removed from our recent history but this time in our lives will always be a part of our history. For me the Remnants series represents the need to find balance and hope in difficult times. My wish is that you find some comfort in this new series and take a moment to ponder life so far with a smile on your face for what comes next.