Stephen Cain
Stephen Cain
The impetus behind my work is to observe record and depict the solitude of landscapes through the transients of its continuing devolution and inevitable evolution oscillating between perpetual abandonment and rescue. The work is an attempt at using the image making process to the extent the works are devoid of opinion regarding themselves and are subject to the scrutiny of its creators and ultimately its inhabitants, so the landscape is a passive entity in the midst of its continuing birth and re-birth. Ultimately the landscape is resigned to anonymity.
The work does not contain any political or social commentary such subject matter has never interested me nor does it have an underlying theme from the artist, the purpose of it is for the viewer to invent their own story about what it means to them. Atmosphere plays it part in the work resulting in moody undertones or a sense of loss or something is about to happen. Changes in light affect the look and mood of the work giving it scope to change the viewer’s perspective of the image; it can almost animate its self and change direction.
The work does vary between formal and abstract landscape drawing influences from Rubens, Cezanne, Degas, Mark Rothko and Willem De Kooning have influenced the mood and atmosphere, although the work does not try and emulate any movements or particular artists I do use their work as templates to inform my own practice.
