Paintings by Gina Litherland
Queen of an Uncharted Territory, 2008, oil on masonite, 10" x 20"
Paintings by Gina Litherland
Queen of an Uncharted Territory, 2008, oil on masonite, 10" x 20"
Sky Blue appears on the cover of Carrie Koffman's new compst
disc of compositions for saxophone
by women composers, inlcuding Augusta Read Thomas, Shulamit Ran, and
Marilyn Shrube.
Carillon Sky has been released by Impermanence Records.
More information about saxphonist Carrie Koffman can be found here.
Follow
this link
to Elise Goldstein's review at Chicago Art Map
of the solo show Murmur of Pearls: New Paintings by Gina Litherland
at Corbett vs. Dempsey in October of 2009.
Follow
this link
to Mary Louise Schumacher's review of
Queens and Vagabonds at Milwaukee's Haggerty Museum.
For more information about the work of
GINA LITHERLAND
send an e-mail inquiry to
The work of Gina Litherland is represented in the midwest
by
1120 North Ashland, Chicago, Illinois 60622
773/278-1664
Don Juan in the Wilderness, 2008, oil on masonite, 22" x 24"
I have always been interested in the interplay between myth, the natural world, and the domain of dreams and memory. As a child, I spent many hours exploring natural wooded areas and empty lots inhabited by multitudes of insects and wildlife. This, along with a fervent interest in reading, particularly fairy tales, laid the foundation for my current investigations as an artist. Much of my work is inspired by folklore, myth, and literature reflected in my own personal preoccupations, specifically themes of desire, femaleness, the natural world, the human/animal boundary, children's games, ritual, intuition, and memory. The painting techniques that I use, traditional indirect oil painting techniques similar to those used by fifteenth century Sienese painters, combined with textural effects created by using various tools other than the paint brush, allow me to create a detailed, layered, and complex surface of images recreating the experience of looking at the forest floor with its rich blanket of diverse matter in various stages of decay. Suddenly, an object emerges and comes sharply into focus.
While some of my paintings begin with an idea that I have been ruminating over for some time, or are inspired by a particularly compelling book or folktale, others occur quite spontaneously, beginning with a decalcomania underpainting which suggests forms that emerge and develop into a personal narrative. The act of painting becomes a complete process of revelation. A mysterious narrative emerges, Rorschach-like, from a turbulent, chaotic ground of color and texture. Myths, dreams, memories, and phantoms of pigment suspended in medium are in continuous dialogue with one another. Dormant images ignite slowly, as our eyes adjust to their dark submerged brilliance.
-Gina Litherland, 1999
more paintings Imagination & Wilderness: an essay by Gina Litherland
for more information about Gina Litherland's work
All images copyright 2007 Gina Litherland.