I have a continuing fascination with structure, form and shape. Overarching themes in my work are East Anglian barns. Often overlooked, the ramshackle barns evidence the passage of time in their unkempt and ravaged appearance. I attempted to re-evaluate and recreate their importance by juxtaposing line and colour into intricate patterns and shapes.The starting point is always based in observed reality. Layering is used as a technique to make images more complex, allowing viewers a richer visual experience. Line is an important part of the paintings or prints, offering the means of conveying movement, shifting view points and the mutability of the source material. It is then segmented, deconstructed and manipulated, finally being rebuilt as enigmatic and individual narratives. The bright, multicoloured images that formed my reconstructed barns a couple of years ago now are complemented by complex linear decisions or as different colour choices. Each new painting seems to suggest the possibility of further exploration and development.
The study of my environment and travelling around East Anglia looking for such barns is quite an adventure. I feel I am recording a part of local history for future generations. It is impossible to say how many of these may exist in a few years. Judging by their resilience in the past, they may be around for a while. However two of the barns are now residential properties and one is a tennis court.
www.debbieaylesartist.co.uk
