Color printed on canvas.
Color on a rough grey/brown unprepared Belgian linen. Color in the form of paint, more specifically, oil-based etching ink. The color interpretation, nuances and transitions are sometimes clearly chosen, but also rather intuitive.
When the plate is printed on the linen, the paint does not penetrate the canvas but remains on the surface. As a result, there is also a certain ‘invisible’ transparency, which you only see if you hold the canvas towards the light. This is a fundamental part of my work and that is why I do not work with other paints. Actually, I don’t paint.
Currently my work is serene and calm. The colors are fresh: pastels, silver, light green, sky blue, yellow and pink.
I get my inspiration from nature. The sky. Color shades, incidence of light. I go in search of emptiness, nothing, with colors. Light present.
There seems to be little material present, but in fact it is about many layers printed on top of each other. Sometimes the work doesn’t feel right, that’s good. I don’t strive for perfection.
I don’t want to create a social, psychological, mystical or religious message, because I don’t think you can see that in any of my work. What’s more, I want the viewer to decide what it is for him or her. I do want to evoke a kind of peace, calm and contemplation. The brighter colors provide a contrast to this tranquility.
Shelley Meert, 2021
SHELLEY MEERT