The current stunning exhibition at Traffic Jam Galleries presents works by two artist from their ‘stable’ Katherine Wood and Kayden Bailey under the title ‘The Universe Within’.

In this particular exhibition, KATHERINE WOOD displays a series of captivating atmospheric sky and seascapes, some quite heavily textured. For this exhibition she is reflecting on the idea that we are all connected, we are in the universe and the universe is in us. We are a part of the sky and the sky is in us. The tiny trees or human figures are a metaphor of defiantly standing against the infinite sky, an image of resilience in times of stress and struggle. She hopes to provide a meditative space for the viewer to escape from life’s turbulence.

‘Deep Stillness’ is a work where land and sky merge.

‘Feeling Connected’ is a fragile, misty, semi dreamscape of a woman asleep , surrounded by what appear to be dripping icicles – or are they tears?

‘Within A Gentle Storm’ is a beach and sky scene with the tide out and turbulent sky. Two tiny figures ignore the coming storm. ‘Iridescence’ – has a strong horizontal composition, taking the eye to the vanishing point between land and sky, where a hazy yellow beach dominates the composition at about the half-way line. Is it waves or fragile footsteps leading to the beach?

‘Circle of Life’ – has a fiery texture ring around the painting where sea and sky merge

Next comes a diptych, ‘Pause’, depicting the sea leading to ominous, turbulent dark clouds.

‘The Journey We Take’ is a cool , somewhat bleak , sea and cloudscape with the tide receding . A reflection on life and death perhaps?

‘The Universe Within’ portrays the blurred, fragile imaginings of a person hiding their face – the mind’s whirling phantasms? A ghost?

‘Holding Deep’ – a fabulous beach and skyscape with stormy rolling clouds. The tide is out, so we can see minuscule trees.

‘Vanishing Point’ also has a tiny tree on land with a red sky.

‘Deep Inside’ has a dramatic yellow sky, as if just before a storm .

‘Inner Peace’ is again beach and sky.

‘Trusting the Moment’ with its heavy looming sky is another sea/skyscape with the eye led to the vanishing point roughly in the middle of the picture.

‘Timeless Days’ with its pale white clouds is a blurring of land and sky with a tiny tree just visible.

BAILEY ‘s sensational works look like watercolors but are in fact acrylic and resin on canvas, sometimes heavily textured. In his work he envisions a soaring eagle taking flight over ever-changing landscapes, that often look like underwater seascapes. When a storm is approaching only the eagle avoids it by soaring above the storm. The only way to avoid the storm is to master control of the mind and enter ‘ the universe within’ – a metaphor for dealing with the dramas and chaos in our own lives!

In this exhibition we see:

‘In Full Flight’ – with its tempestuous, swirling clouds yet a bright patch in the middle.

‘Earthly Blossoms’ – where the composition is dominated by beautiful, fragile remains of pink blossoms in the middle.

A diptych called ‘Letting Go Yesterday’ is full of roiling, insubstantial dreams – is that a face?! Exhibited together, there is a strong ‘V’ in the line of composition.

‘Fly Away with Me’ with its dominant diagonal line of composition is of wonderfully texture rockpools – is there an astronaut sitting on the rockpool?

‘Keeping the Distance’ with is strong diagonal line of composition is a delicate blue eddying composition (ink from an octopus? ) with a sea creature floating separate at the top left hand corner and an oyster and pearl to balance it.

‘Lie of the Land’ depicts rockpools and sand .

‘A River Runs Through’ It is a stunning whirlpool of a waterscape in blue with a strong vertical ‘line’ of composition that curls around the various bumps in the landscape. Or should that be buried underwater treescape?

‘Tempting Fate’ is another diptych, very thickly textured, in rather subdued grey and blue tones, that is a fabulous depiction of coral and the seabed.

Transitions, with its strong horizontal line of composition in muted tones of grey and white, has a dreamlike atmosphere or is it underwater? Some sections of the work float separately.

THE UNIVERSE WITHIN, an exhibition showcasing the works of Katherine Wood and Kayden Bailey, runs at the Traffic Jam Galleries between 16 October – 6 November 2020.;

https://www.trafficjamgalleries.com/current-exhibition

Featured image :  Katherine Wood ‘Holding Deep’ 80 x 140cm mixed media and oil on canvas $3650