Review: November 2002
OTTAWA XPRESS
STREET ENERGIES AND HIDDEN LIVES
ARTS WATCH : ANITA EUTENEIER

In her latest series of paintings Portamento Square, figurative painter Carrie Colton captures the frenetic energy of urban street scenes and the hidden narratives of their inhabitants. The 14 oil paintings are based on photographs taken by Colton and photographer pal Tina Mohns during treks through London, Montreal and New York.

Colton chose the exhibition title, a fictitious place, using the musical term to indicate the gliding movement from one note to another. Colton depicts anonymous moments of people on a mission - moving through populated urban environments - but engaged in their own personal dramas.

Colton employs strong graphic elements and bold colours, making no attempt to cover up brush strokes, giving the works an animated and lyrical sensibility. But it is Colton's figures - their expressions the personification of urban angst - that lead the viewer to see beyond what Colton calls the "seductive appeal of beauty.

"I'm not opposed to the idea of someone finding the paintings aesthetically beautiful," Colton said in an interview at her studio, "but they should feel a little uncomfortable and recognize some tension in them as well."

Portamento Square opens Sunday, November 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Thyme and Again, 1255 Wellington Street, and runs until December 15

Review: November 2001
OTTAWA XPRESS
EXPLORING HER INNER CHILD
ARTS WATCH: ANITA EUTENEIER

In a child's mind, the line between reality and the world of dreams and fantasies is often blurred. Starting from this premise, artist Carrie Colton created a series of new portraits that explores the inner life of a child's imagination fittingly titled Make Believe.

Colton works from childhood memories, old family photos and a plethora of magazines form Vogue to Tattoo. The 17 medium to large sized works of water-based oils on canvas often feature children. Colton forgoes the typical depictions of innocence and vulnerability creating characters that appear willful determined and even mischievous. “A lot of images I was drawn to depicted something stronger and more tenacious,” she said.

Colton achieves this through expression and by juxtaposing the subject and other elements – landscapes and stylized motifs that evoke a dream like state.

In one, a child with angel wings holds a blue egg against a yellow background. The bottom third of the canvas is blue with a floral tattoo reminiscent of William Morris wallpaper. The domestic Colton says her attraction to patterns comes from her childhood where she spent Saturdays at her Grandfathers paint and wallpaper store.

In others, the portrait is in the central of the work framed by delicately patterned motifs. Colton's works are fraught with ambiguity and tension that cause the viewer to linger beyond the first glance. “I like to pose questions with the work and have places where the viewer can come into the work and bring their own interpretations.”

Make Believe continues until Dec. 13 at Artguise. 590 Bank St. Vernissage takes place Friday, Nov. 16 from 7:30pm to 10:30pm