COMBINE 2012: Annual Undergraduate Student Exhibition

Laura Rokas’s three oil paintings, Just Chill, Stonehenge, and Yeah I Know, depict close-up views of the carved surfaces of blocks used for linocut printing.  Although the subject of each artwork can technically be described as “still life,” the paintings evoke a complex visual puzzle as the final painted images are in fact derived from photographs of sculptural works made out of printmaking materials utilizing elements of typography.  Are these artworks actually anchored in the realm of painting, or would it be more appropriate to think of them in terms of one or more of the other media involved?  The challenge in interpreting Rokas’ paintings points to the larger issue of how the work of art itself is experienced, as viewers now perceive works through the mediation of magazines or websites. The offset reproductions of the paintings in this catalogue, for example, also add to the challenge of knowing where the artwork actually resides.

The latent tension between disparate media in Rokas’s paintings is further emphasized by each media’s respective sense of illusion.  Detailed renderings of highly textured relief that could have only been captured by the uncompromising precision of the camera are translated into the loose brushwork and smooth surface of oil paint, recalling the kind of spatial illusion often associated with traditional landscape painting. However, the tightly cropped view in each artwork results in a complete absence of context with which to establish a sense of scale, producing imagery that could just as easily be seen to represent a miniature model as an expansive landscape.  The monochromatic colour palette featured in each work underscores the essentially abstract nature of the imagery, as it remains unclear whether the colours are inherent to whatever is being depicted, or whether the artist has modified the colours to her own end. The more each painting is examined, the more a sense of what is “real” becomes increasingly difficult to establish.

Given the complex and puzzling nature of the imagery in Rokas’ paintings, the informal naming of each artwork (particularly Just Chill and Yeah I Know), provides a humorous counterpoint.  She indicates that the use of these personal idioms “is intended to work as a device to connect with the viewer on a personal level.”  Indeed, after having so seriously considered Rokas’ artwork, her suggestion to “just chill” might be welcomed advice. Nevertheless, this unexpectedly direct attempt at connecting with the viewer serves as a compelling reminder that regardless of how challenging it is, an artwork is always the personal expression of an artist. 

While the humorous language attempts to casually establish a connection with the viewer, the imagery in Rokas’ paintings leaves nothing to chance.  In an era where it is not uncommon for artists to simply search through Google Images to find their source material, Rokas acts as a painter of her own photographs of her own sculptural work based on her own printmaking practice that highlights her own idiomatic motifs, thereby ensuring that her meta-media artworks are fully authentic personal expressions.