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Exploring
the physicality of paint and surface textures, the
latest body of works, Found Marks, continues
Terri Brook’s formal investigation of natural
mark making. With a leanness of technique and an innate
feeling for surface textures Brooks utilises her materials
to produce rich and complex works that speak of creating
art out of something humble and ordinary. Following
a lineage of artists attracted to marks in nature
- including Whistler, Pollock, Tuckson and Mondrian,
‘ a tradition equating marks in nature and marks
made by an artist which goes back to Leonardo and
his blotchy wall.’1
Extending
beyond the pure zones of white and black for which
Brooks is most notable, Found Marks incorporates
hues of red and yellow to an already deeply layered
palette.
Many of her new works incorporate what the artist
refers to as ‘paper blocks’ – a compressed
paper support comprising newspaper layers – formed
and cured to a hard block. This new element directly
refers to Tony Tuckson’s early Newspaper paintings,
while further suggesting the artist’s interest
in the concept of ‘making do’. With a corrigated
surface and ‘fat’ materiality, paint is
allowed to pool and drawn lines navigate undulating
terrains. These works also take on the physicality
of the objects from which Brooks draws her inspiration
– such as weathered corrugated iron walls or
decaying road surfaces. With marks that are bold and
honest and which obviously relish gesture, this concern
takes precedence as the scale of Brook’s works
increases.
Terri
Brooks has had numerous solo shows since 1989 and
has been selected as a finalist in the Fleurieu Art
Prize, and the Alice Prize. She has been awarded BP
Acquisitive Awards, an Australia Council Grant and
the Pat Corrigan Artists Grant. Her work is in the
Albert Tucker Collection, Macquarie Bank, Westpac
Bank, many other corporate collections, as well as
numerous private collections in Australia, the United
States, the Netherlands and England.
(Footnotes)
1 Auping.Michael, Elderfield. John, & Sontag.
Susan, (1995). Howard Hodgkin paintings, The Fort
Worth Art Association. Hodgkin letter. Page 75,76.
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