Lorna Robertson's colorful paintings, often made with a combination of
oil paint and collage, have a distinctly nostalgic tone. Shimmering
female forms with swinging skirts from the 1950s or bonneted bathers
from the 1920s jostle with richly described interiors and crowded
tabletops. Hints and glimpses of tangible forms--a fashion model, for
example, or a vase--appear and then fragment into patterns and
explosions of color.
This new publication coincides with Robertson's exhibition at Ingleby
Gallery and is divided into sections that feature collections of recent
large paintings by the artist (2015-2022), small paintings (all 2022)
and works on paper (2016-2022), all of which demonstrate Robertson's
characteristic layered interpretations of the female form alongside
recurring motifs such as hats, long dresses, and flowers. Her drawings
(2018-2020) offer fluid forms in ink, pencil and watercolor.
An essay by art critic Hettie Judah explores Robertson's work in terms
of pattern, costume, and architecture, drawing out key inspirations
including tapestry, advertising, and magazine design through abstracted
forms. The influence of contemporary female painters and those from art
history is further considered.
In another text, Robertson is in conversation with artist and writer
Mikey Cuddihy. This frank interview reveals much about Robertson's
intuitive working processes: from starting points, color decisions, the
rhythms of brushwork, and considerations of scale, to the wider
relationship between text, music, drawing, and painting.
The publication is edited by Ingleby Gallery, designed by Joanna Deans,
Identity, printed by Albe De Coker, and co-published by Ingleby
Edinburgh, and Anomie, London. The publication coincides with
Robertson's first solo exhibition "thoughts, meals, days" at Ingleby
Gallery, Edinburgh, in 2022. The artist is represented by Ingleby
Gallery.
