By Sana Rose, Contributor
'Thy Will Be Done'
Review of 'Soaring' by Marjorie Keith
At Revolution Gallery
MARJORIE KEITH, a
52-year-old artist, has mounted a solo exhibition at Revolution Gallery, 52 Lady Musgrave Road. This, Keith believes, was divinely inspired in the same way as her collection of ceramic works. Themes of marriage/love and parent/child relationships, domesticity and industry in celebration of the marketplace are enduring subjects in her work.
Painting, ceramic sculpture and batik are some of artforms combined in the show. In some pieces, the ceramic forms become her 'canvas' where images are painted, in others, the paintings are done in relief and, of course, there is sculpture.
MARKING A MILESTONE
There is a sincere mode of quiet contemplation in the works. Dubbed 'Soaring', Keith uses the exhibition to mark not only her milestone in years on this earth, but also the idea that, "I am soaring! I have arrived at this place where I can look at love and portray it the love that God has placed inside my heart."
Now a Christian for seven years, her work has a strong Christian influence. In this show, prayer is a constant image/theme and is perhaps the reason for the contemplative aura of the pieces. 'In the Love Zone', a triptych, there is a man and woman praying separately for a partner and in the third scene their prayer is answered as they are brought together.
In 'Thy Will Be Done' a woman is in deep meditation, her head bowed, while in '#352' a woman kneels at the cross.
The pastel colours - mostly light blue and white glaze - are complemented by touches of other colours and a bronze finish that is painted onto the surfaces after glazing. The finely crafted works combine form and imagery well and even functionality seen in the teapots on show.
Keith exhibits much confidence in the medium of clay as even her paint technique and drawing of human motifs, which in the past, she had a bit of a struggle with formally, has improved. We are then able to view the works on two levels unencumbered by deficiency of skill. A monkey jar is not merely a monkey jar and while we can appreciate it as such, Keith offers more to it - scenes that encircle the form in pieces such as 'To Market, To Market I and II' and 'Come Fly with Me'. By the same token, the teapots are not merely teapots but together refer to marriage in the pieces 'Something Old', 'Something New' and 'Something Blue'.
'Soaring' shows Marjorie Keith's interest in experimentation, and in trying to find new ways to express common themes. It is a delight to us that the work is not purely form but also uses themes that help to hold our attention and interest longer. While the works are unobtrusive even in colour, their meditative tone beckons us closer to inspect the surfaces and in an almost secretive moment of sharing, tell us their meaning.
The show ends on July 20.
