Diane Farris Gallery is pleased to present White, Sara Genn’s first solo show with the gallery. The exhibition explores white as a starting point for a gradual shift to colour. The juxtaposition of low-key, off-white images of trees from her series Sixty Days of Light alongside new paintings from Colour, Moving and Still demonstrates her mastery of colour concepts and associations. Genn’s sophisticated use of patterning and repetition contribute to zen-like images that are simultaneously objects of pleasure and visual seduction. Her thick, luxurious application of paint creates a delicious visual texture.

By reducing subject matter and external references, Sara Genn investigates colour relationships and the emotions they produce in the viewer. She began developing the series Colour, Moving and Still in 2003. Earlier works examine her gradual shift from calm, light colours to more energetic and intensely saturated hues. The new pieces featured in White hone in on the still and tranquil effects of the paler shades, starting with creamy pastels and moving to richer luxurious golden tones. Using suede-like textures and repeated circular motifs, Genn alludes to quilts as a means of blurring distinctions between high art and craft, and between domestic and precious objects.

The works in Sixty Days Of Light were inspired by a 2008 studio swap when Sara Genn traded her New York studio with an American writer living in Lucca, Italy. Finding herself enthralled by the magical Mediterranean light, Genn applied her tonal explorations to the trees that encircle the Tuscan town. She wrote:

"Painting light is its own encyclopaedia of art. Artists tackle it in all sorts of ways, the Italians used techniques like chiaroscuro - here I was riding a bicycle around in Italy, constantly aware of extreme light conditions, and then wandering through the Uffizi Gallery in Florence eating the A to Z of Italian light."

The small, en plein air, acrylic on linen sketches will be displayed alongside her oil on canvas colourfields developed in New York and Vancouver. As with the paintings in Colour, Moving and Still, Genn’s use of repeated pattern and her signature brush work create tactile and comforting textures that mimic textiles in design and appearance.

Sara Genn is a Canadian-born artist currently living in New York City. She received attention for her artwork at an early age with an entry in the National Gallery of London’s children’s collection, and began showing professionally at age 18. Genn graduated with a BFA from Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario in 1994. In addition to her work as a visual artist, Genn is an independent recording artist.