 |
 |
 |
|
Sleeping • oil on panel • 12"x12"
Barbara J Simcoe
Associate Professor, Art and Art History
(402) 554-2392
Office: 330 WFAB
bsimcoe@mail.unomaha.eduPersonal Website: http://www.barbarasimcoe.com
Barb Simcoe
Artist Statement
What draws me to making the work I do is my perception that much of the world is largely pre-occupied with itself on a level that excludes spirituality – its loudness, its violence, its unrelenting dedication to the exterior in favor of the interior and its fascination with spectacle. Is there a place for contemplation in this morass.The figurative imagery I use in my work is almost exclusively of women and it is in the area of feminine archetypes that I am most interested – woman as vessel of creativity, as intercessor, as of the earth, as mother, as chthonic aspect of the feminine/masculine dichotomy, as the complement of masculine divinity. The imagery of the feminine and light is prominent. These are the subtexts of my work.
In designing my pieces I direct my actions to subconsciously access archetypes with the intention of creating works that function as metaphor. I create works that are designed to be vehicles for contemplation. I am interested in the possibility of silence as the medium through which one can sense spirituality. My works are quiet yet at the same time they intentionally challenge a sensory overloaded and violent culture. I am not interested in my works functioning as an escape into a false world of sentiment but as presenting the opportunity of mediating the space between perception and meditation, a space that is ephemeral and unquantifiable.
Meanings of my works have their sources in symbolic systems that deal with notions
of intercession, healing and regeneration. The imagery of the feminine and light is prominent. I am not interested in the reality of appearance and so the settings are mysterious and somewhat surreal. I am very interested in eccentric spaces and so in all of my work I push the boundaries of the ‘rules’ of composition, often using extreme cropping as well as mixing perspectives and light sources. Much of my recent work has been influenced by a Fulbright experience in Eastern Europe and a trip to Israel. In both regions I was struck by landscape and light, which have deeply influenced my work.
