Varvara Shavrova's touring exhibition of drawings and paintings is rooted in her experiences of north Mayo in recent years. The works are Shavrova's renderings of symbol, place and moment, abstractions of form and colour that signify points of resonance between the external and personal.
For the exhibition, Shavrova has brought the act of drawing back to centre stage, and the charcoal and graphite works serve as an appropriate starting point from which to view the whole. The Inscriptions series consists of dark, dense works in a tonally rich monochrome of subtly contrasting matt and sheen. There is a sense of repeated overworking, creating a sumptuous textural quality. The gestural mark-making offers a reference to process and application, and the presence of the artist's hand is palpable. Similarly, although lighter in character, the larger drawings of the Found Object series are organic celebrations of form, line and tone, less abstract and more readable.
While substantial works in their own right, the drawings are clearly also a first step towards the paintings on show - the large-scale Found series - and the application of paint is an extension of the mark-making evident in the drawings. The paintings display the same organic approach and process of working, a rhythmic build-up of colour and form.
While the drawings maintain a coolness, Shavrova's paintings achieve a wide range of emotional content, from the quietly visceral Found: Grey and the subtle delicacy of Found: Dianthus Pink to the fuchsia intensity of Found: Crimson and the hearth-like glow of Found: Warm Black. The interaction of Shavrova's colours produces emotional weight, offering a view of personal territory while rendering it more universal. The results are rich, intense and engrossing.
Ends December 8th. Also at Linenhall Arts Centre, Castlebar, January 4th-26th