Phenomenology is a way of describing an integrated or embodied experience linked to the nature of being. Banks’ connection with the landscape of St. Ives from childhood memories translates into visual documentations, exploring experience through colour theory and personal intuition. These paintings created for the artist’s degree show exhibition are only six of many. Due to the fast nature in which the artist tends to work, she has created a variety of outcomes, each representing an individual experience. Each piece takes no more than two days to created to stop any overthinking and to allow for the creation of an expressive and authentic visual documentation. The scale of the work is changed for a similar reason, Banks works on a variety of scales to make sure she does not get stuck in a routine of working in one way. The subject of the work is an extension of the landscape of St. Ives; a refreshing and sentient perspective created with colours which are based on, but not limited to, natural tones. These colours are not a direct translation of the landscape, but more of a portrayal of what the artist feels would fit to create a dynamic, following instinct to use colour in a playful manner through an understanding of colour theory. The artist works intuitively, she has no preconceived notion of what the final paintings will look like and acts solely off instinct. This can be seen through the visual energy within the paintings, using broad and expressive brushstrokes to fill the canvas. Graphic lines and occasional colour blocks break up the brushstrokes to create a pathway for visual exploration. This combination of gestures translates the artist’s embodied experience. The way in which the paintings have been displayed within the exhibition allows them to stand alone as individual pieces. They can easily be viewed as separate experiences, rather than a set of responses linking to one experience. The lack of order also adds to the sense of playfulness linked to the paintings themselves. The central linear composition allows for optimum exploration of the surface, leading the viewers eye across each painting. This exhibition holds a unique and personal experience, and it is evident to see how this translates into the work.
Victoria Bisatt, 2019.
Evie Banks 