Pick of the Week: 'On the Plate' by Wendy Walls

  • 10 June 2018
  • Sarah Holden

Wendy Walls' new still life 'On the Plate' is this week's Pick of the Week! A bold, energetic depiction of one of our favourite classic Kiwi seafood dishes, Wendy's painting adds a little bit of drama to our Whangamata gallery. 
 


Wendy Walls with 'On the Plate' at The Little Gallery Whangamata


Despite being served on the plate, Wendy's crayfish seems to possess a dynamic, lively energy, falling off the edge of the dish as if crawling away, making a playful escape. Wendy often explores everyday, domestic encounters and still life but subverts them in exciting, visually appealing ways through her choice in colours, experimentation with collage and graphic reduction.

'On the Plate' is no exception: a striking, standout piece that despite having a limited palette of complementary colours and monochromes, still exudes a confidence and clarity in its simple composition. If 'On the Plate' were a person we imagine they would be the life of the party!
 


A specialist in mixed media, Wendy's works frequently delight us with their interesting surface textures and richly built up layers of paint and collage. Her sensibility for creating textures and dimension is evident in this piece: the bubbly, seafoam-like texture of the teal green background alludes to the crayfish's natural habitat, while the delicate lace print of the plate's edge adds an unexpected soft touch.

Wendy's choice in framing serves well to accentuate the painting's bold tones, allowing in to cohesively fit into both dark and pale walls - we imagine 'On the Plate' would complement well a cool toned dark room, or alternatively, liven up a fresh, light space. See it at our Whangamata gallery now! 

Interested in enquiring about Wendy Walls' work? Contact us here! 

 

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