SAM LOCK

Like with many of Lock’s works, this series of paintings unfolds slowly, they are not works that reveal themselves at a glimpse. They require the viewer to find a new pace, to take the time to discern the emotional resonance in their meditative quality. The gentleness and power felt in each work comes from the simplicity and starkness of the composition in contrast to the softness of the marks.

‘There is comfort in not knowing whether things are falling apart or connecting together, that beyond us there is an infinite process happening, a force we can’t control or separate ourselves from. These paintings feel primal to me, their confidence is skin-deep only and vulnerable; the more we look at them, the less certain of themselves they become. The line that divides seems to break up and blur, to dissolve away into an idea; leaving behind a painting.’

–Sam Lock

The canvas appears absorbent, like blotting paper, giving the ‘dividing lines’ a sense of ephemerality and vulnerability. Movement and fluidity can be found in the flood marks and traces of the stained colour fields, signposting how the works are made. There is a balance between the appearance of fluidity and natural forces, and the intentional action of the artist. The pigment has been scrubbed into the fabric; rather than sitting on the surface, the marks are contained within the canvas itself becoming inherent. These canvases will be shown alongside forty works on paper. These smaller scale works are part of Lock’s mark making process. Superimposed onto book pages with pre- existing stories and memories, the fluid, instantaneous marks imply a different timescale, reflecting a pure moment of creation and artistic intervention.