Josh Foley
LandE scape
CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW by my cultural knowledge and background, where“ landscape painting” as a genre is outlined and highlighted as subject matter in itself and investigated as a conceptual and cultural activity.
We like the trompe l’ oeil that marks out your approach. It also leaves space for the spectators to replay the scenes in their own intimate lives, letting them become emotionally involved in what you are attempting to communicate. What do you think about the role of the viewer?
The importance of the viewer to be able to walk around my works in the room where they hang can be significant as the works become activated by their movement, their proximity to the canvas and the angle of their observations and eyes. How much the work decieives or distances or upends the perceptual faultlines of an individual can give me insights into how successful a work was. This anecdotal feedback gives me more data – especially from people who don’ t know or can’ t understand how a work was made – as I am acutely aware of the insides of the piece I have to squint my eyes to give myself that same distance – but then you lose focus.
We would like to pose some questions about the balance established by colors and texture: we have really appreciated the vibrancy of thoughtful nuances that saturate your canvas and especially the way in Dunkelheit they suggest the idea of plasticity and even such a tactile feeling. How did you come about settling on your color palette? In particular, do you expect the viewer to react in a specific way psychologically?
I don’ t have any overt expectations for the viewer – I like open ended interpretation. Colour and its use is a constantly evolving and challenging process and as alluded to is the most cosmetic and yet psychological aspect of my works. As they often begin in monochrome, deciding on a colour pallete can be nerve wracking as often I’ m content with the grisaille image yet feel it would be too easy to leave it and so I dive into the emotinally complex world of colour.
Over these years you have exhibited extensively throughout Australia and your work is held in a number of public and private
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