Plus One Gallery is pleased to present a solo show of work by James Van Patten.
Van Patten's approach to his subject matter encapsulates one of the simplistic joys of hyperrealist paintings, both for artist and viewer: observation in the detail and observation in the banal.
Although the imagery for his work is taken from surrounding nature or, to be more precise, surrounding water landscapes, the mental snap shot would ordinarily go unnoticed and unrecorded. The distinct light for a certain time of the day, reflections on the uneven surfaces and the collage of colours in the entwined growth of marshland are fleeting memories to the naked eye. To capture this, Van Patten relies on a camera to collect these nuances and from there incorporates the qualities of the photographic image, such as softening and blurred boundaries of colours into his paintings.
Van Patten sums up his subject matter clearly, 'I, like most Photorealist, choose to represent as art what might have never or rarely been thought of as worthy of comment.... Probably everyone has had the joy of noticing something for the first time that they may have seen many times before, but overlooked.' With that, the essence of James Van Patten's show is captured: intricate in detail and thoughtful observation of light and colour as well as the many textures and layer to natural environment that he paints.
