Deborah Tarr

Overview

Assembled over the last two years, this collection of work by Deborah Tarr is influenced by travels to Cornwall, to the Lake District and to Europe. Sometimes the name stamps the location, other times the viewer can create their own associations. These paintings provide a pause in both her journey and the viewer's. A journey though time and place and space. Her paintings slow down time to create a reflective space away from the buzz and hassle of modern life. They speak to us because they help to escape into a world of serenity and balance. But not to sleep. There is a world to investigate in each painting and the viewer can create their own interpretations because of the abstract nature of the work.

Tarr's work moves from pure abstraction to varying levels of representation of the land and sea. But while some pieces are more clearly depictions or inspirations of somewhere, each one, regardless of how abstract it is, has its own location and place in time. The pieces sometimes represent a moment in the artist's life, in her time, in her thoughts. The viewer is encouraged to participate in this, to make the space and moment their own.

She creates more than a painting - she creates a complete and individual object. This is defined as much by the grain of the canvas and the application of colour as by the carefully chosen frame. Sourcing and choosing the frames is a vital part of the whole process. Some are reclaimed old frames sourced throughout Europe. Others are custom-made for the painting, clean and modern which sit in stark contrast to the antique frames.

The juxtaposition between old and new, traditional and the modern, is what makes Deborah Tarr's work unique, powerful and universal.

Colour and balance guide the composition.They are as essential as the act of applying paint onto the canvas. Each mark, each brush stroke is the result of a series of decisions based on a process to try to arrive at a solution that works. It's a process of editing and removal and change that takes time and energy to arrive at the final image.

We, at Cadogan, have shown Deborah Tarr's work for 15 years. Her career has gone from strength to strength and her base of collectors is extensive and truly international. We feel that her work is utterly unique and are delighted to work so closely with her, looking together toward a bright future.

Freddie Burness

Director