Water Works
Rivière Gouffre I
2004
acrylic on board
12 x 16 inches
Rivière Gouffre II
2004
acrylic on board
12 x 16 inches
Rivière Gouffre III
2004
acrylic on board
12 x 16 inches
Rivière Gouffre IV
2005
acrylic on board
12 x 18 inches
Rivière Gouffre V
2005
acrylic on board
12 x 18 inches
Rivière Gouffre VI
2005
acrylic on board
12 x 18 inches
Swimming Pool I
2004
acrylic on board
20 x 24 inches
Swimming Pool II
2004
acrylic on board
20 x 24 inches
Under Waterfall I
2005
acrylic on board
22 x 28 inches
Under Waterfall II
2005
acrylic on board
22 x 28 inches
Underwater Galaxy II
2004
acrylic on board
26 x 36 inches
Underwater Galaxy III
2005
acrylic on board
45 x 66 inches
Underwater Galaxy IV
2004
acrylic on board
26 x 36 inches
Underwater Wave
2005
acrylic on board
45 x 66 inches
Fall I
2005
acrylic on board
12 x 16 inches
Fall V
2005
acrylic on board
12 x 16 inches
Fall VI
2006
acrylic on board
12 x 18 inches
Fall VII
2006
acrylic on board
12 x 18 inches
Fall VIII
2006
acrylic on board
12 x 18 inches
Above I
2003
acrylic on board
11 x 16 x 0.5 inches
Above II
2003
acrylic on board
11 x 16 x 0.5 inches
Above III
2003
acrylic on board
11 x 16 x 0.5 inches
Below I
2003
acrylic on board
11 x 16 x 0.5 inches
Below II
2003
acrylic on board
11 x 16 x 0.5 inches
Below III
2003
acrylic on board
11 x 16 x 0.5 inches
WATER WORKS
The abstract movement of water is a constant source of enthrallment as the physical environment is transformed by its reflective properties. In this early series of marine paintings, water is portrayed in all its ambiguity: a substance at once suffocating and beautiful, sustaining and destructive.
“More than any other painter, Harvey has sought and achieved a material presence in the representation of water through her unusual application of acrylic medium,” writes Gordon Hatt, Executive Director of CAFKA in Kitchener, Ontario.
In these paintings, successive applications of up to 60 layers of acrylic paint and medium result in surfaces that approach half an inch in thickness, creating a powerful, visceral presence that emphasizes the potency of water. The physicality of the painting medium further induces the experience of submersion.