Mount Vernon, Washington
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In the Art Bar - Sandy Dixon

All the images in the paintings in this show are variations on the still-life.  The objects in each of the works are familiar, domestic and of little value in themselves.  In their natural state, as pots on a patio or jugs on a kitchen counter, they are hardly worth a second glance.  But by being arranged in a painting, by inhabiting a composition and being transformed with often unexpected color, they assume a new life.  In addition, some of the compositions are representational and objects are seen in a more or less normally accepted space. Others break away from the traditional view and objects are fragmented, depth disappears and color is arbitrary. 
 
Still-life painting is always a way for the viewer to escape since still-life paintings generally have no religious or political message.  Viewing a still-life is to be part of a small and controlled world that requires simply to feel the influence of color, shape and space and to enjoy seeing.  Like all painting, the image is an illusion because if you reach for an apple, all you will feel is paint and canvas.