Lynn Aldrich Velvet Painting Unlearning Darkness

Velvet Painting: Unlearning Darkness, 2016

Lynn Aldrich

American, based in Los Angeles, CA

Velvet, velveteen, and plastic on wood panel, 24 × 18 × 1 in. (61 × 45.7 cm)

"This work is from a series of simulated abstract paintings constructed from strips of cut velvet adhered to a wood panel. Not actually using paint, the varied colours I discover and purchase in the Los Angeles Fabric District become my palette. From darkest to palest, the blue, red, and yellow hues and shades are arranged to move upward toward the light, perhaps forming a revelation. Simple and repetitive labour by hand, in real time and space, is recorded in the resulting object, intended for contemplation by a viewer, not on a screen but standing before it." —Lynn Aldrich

About the artist

Lynn Aldrich is a visual artist who makes sculpture, wall constructions, and installations. Born in Texas, she grew up in ten different states before moving to Los Angeles. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA, English Literature) and ArtCenter, Pasadena (MFA, Fine Arts), she lives and works in north Los Angeles County. Her work has been exhibited widely, including a 20-year survey at ArtCenter titled Lynn Aldrich: Un/Common Objects (2013), and her works are held in the collections of many major art museums, including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Calder Foundation in New York, and the Portland Art Museum. She is the recipient of many awards and recognitions, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Arts.

Inspired by natural science and phenomena such as water, light, stars and planets, flora and fauna, Aldrich longs for environmental preservation while pointing to the excess and artificiality of contemporary culture. She sometimes goes on a shopping spree to consumer stores or outlets, looking for "specimens" to collect and accumulate into artworks. Unlikely beauty and mystery often emerge in the process. With interests in literature, philosophy, and history, Aldrich fosters the possibility of a sacramental imagination in a material world.