Headlands

Linda Holloway’s paintings are aesthetic evolutions based on notions of language, semiotics and psychology. The nature of thought and the operation of the human mind are central themes throughout her work, borne out in visually distinctive ways.

Consisting of a variety of symbolic forms set against highly patterned backgrounds, these works are overwhelming and awe-inspiring in scale and detail.  Holloway’s compositions develop slowly, with ample time allowed for contemplation and reconsideration as they progress. 

With this body of work the artist takes direction from the distinctive natural properties of the wooden panels which underpin the paintings.  After devoting extensive time to examining the bare panels and their response to changing light, Holloway observed and engaged with the beauty of the wood grain.  “When the boards for these works were delivered to my studio, the fascinating subtle grain of the blonde wood was too beautiful to cover with white paint,” she explains. 

With this understanding of the material as a fundamental impetus, Holloway has permitted the medium to describe the ultimate composition of each work.  Subtly emphasizing the wood’s delicate markings, organic and intuitive forms and boundaries emerge.  The alternate values of light and dark become coastlines; knots and rings in the wood become the sites for islands and lagoons in the complex landscapes of the finished works.

These ambiguous scenes are inhabited by enigmatic abstract forms and minute colonies of human activity; clusters of buildings, flotillas of life rafts, figurative symbols standing in for internal narratives.  The cacophonic interplay of these forms may be seen to relate to the operation of the mind; though disordered and seemingly random, the compositions demonstrate considerable depth and are endowed with a sense of movement and vibrancy that defies their static nature.

Holloway describes these works as ‘landscapes of the mind’: physical representations of the creation and annihilation of thoughts, ideas and memories. As such, there is an impressive array of textures, colours and forms within the work, which range from caustic and chemical to biological and organic. 

Holloway views these works as almost representational in their depiction of the workings of the mind. Through her painting practice, she attempts to get past the subjective nature of thought processes, emotions and memories to find a visual lexicon that communicates commonalities concerning the exploration and development of ideas.