Urie’s large scale paintings are the result of brushing, pouring, dumping and flooding tinted household paint on to an untreated surface of canvas, linen or jute. Working on the reverse side of the artwork means that when it is flipped over, a residual, sometimes completely unforeseen image is revealed. Urie then works on both sides while the paint is still wet, building up layers of colour and texture and adding more graphic elements, to compose a complex picture plane.
Urie uses personal photographs and random found online imagery (such as from Trip Advisor or YouTube) in the production of these compositions. With a restricted palette of largely muted colours, he cites as his influences Bonnard’s domestic interiors on one hand, and Michael Bauer’s frenzied surfaces where the canvas provides a ‘dumping ground for psychological debris’ on the other.
He says, “I approach these canvases like salvaged grounds… Although the work is process driven, I continue to question how these paintings might function like errant narrative paintings, how they are tied to location, or might begin to be quite instructional or diagrammatic.”
The exhibition runs until 29 August and admission is free.
It is not necessary to book an appointment to visit the exhibition, but only three people will be allowed into the gallery at any one time, so it may be necessary to wait a short while. Hand sanitising will be available, and we advise that visitors wear a face mask or covering whilst in the gallery.