Andrea MJ Toth

Artist statement

The predominant themes in my work concern light, atmosphere, and a sense of space. I am continuously drawn to the landscape in order to capture a moment, or to stimulate a mood evoking memory. Using formative memories of the vast landscapes of Canada and my new experiences in the northern British landscape, I recall these moments through a variety of media, seeking to recreate the joy, tension, pressure and vulnerability that the landscape brings to me. It is through the use of photography, drawing, painting and journal writing that I research ideas and develop my themes. In my work there is a search for a fine balance between the unconscious flow and direct control of media. The space between the accidental and the deliberate offers the opportunity for areas of light, movement and emotion to exist in the work. The paint and light serve as a metaphor for this binary relationship. Pouring paint and working with its flow enables me to mix the colours on the surface and allow happenstance to occur and take me in unexpected directions. Some consolidation is then imposed through the application of layers of glazes or opaque paint to form a contrast to the predominantly fluid surface.

The horizon and the ambiguous space between earth and sky is the focus of my present work and I am currently exploring the line, or space, that occurs where the two areas meet. The horizon is dependent on one's position and perspective. The line that is drawn can become a space due to its weight and the tension created on either side by atmospheric conditions such as a low cloud ceiling.