Regine Bartsch


STOCKROOM

Throughout my working life in arts my main interest has been the cycle of live and death and how we work within this law of impermanence. I question how we utilise our life span, what marks we make and leave behind.

One of the reoccurring subjects I always return to are flowers. Their often short but powerful blooming season illustrates to me the joyful expression of creative change.
A burst of energy, colour and strength, uncompromising, and then a gracious wilting. Their function of carrying out sexual reproduction is renewal, utilising interdependence with others.
A joyful system.

The flowers appear in domestic settings, interiors inhabited by objects which I connect to people and places I love. They might be regarded as stories told through the symbolic presence and inclusion of flowers, thumbnails and collections of moments.

My style is often direct, raw and unadorned, using shifting viewpoints. Sometimes I discard foregrounds thus making the images seem close enough to touch.
Working with a myriad of media and combining materials I aim to create a sensual surface, irreverently stretching conventional technical rules. Paint is often applied directly from tubes of heavy pigmented watercolour, being mixed on the surface or by association of one colour next to another. I might add collage elements onto the main painting or use a variety of water soluble media like pastels, crayons, ink and graphite to create layers and vibrancy.

The intention of this collection of new flower and interior paintings is that they may be pure Joy Generators.