OCTOBER 1, 2005 - JANUARY 26, 2006

THE LANGUAGE OF
STRUCTURE AND COLOR

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There is a somewhat obscure definition of the word ‘complexion’ as ‘the combination of the four humors [in the human body] of cold, heat, moistness, and dryness in specific proportions. I relate this concept to the language of color and structure in our surroundings and in shapes as meaningful and familiar as faces. In this exhibition, my work investigates color as an expression of the four humors, structure, and the meanings of their combinations.

My paintings investigate the language and meaning of color, texture, pattern, and line. They are inspired by our shared environment and the way we as human beings perceive it. The work explores how visual apprehensions of color, texture, and form influence and are influenced by our experience of our environment. What are the emotional and instinctual meanings of color, pattern, and texture? My paintings intend to connect us with these visual and evocative elements of our environment.

Experimenting with ways to describe texture ironically led me to smooth paintings that retain visual texture. This visual texture is created by a process of working back through layers of pigmented plaster, and the gradual, almost mysterious revelation of the final painting. This medium that I have created for myself is, to my knowledge, entirely unique.

Jesse Corning has lived most of his life in southern Ontario, Canada, and Taos, New Mexico. The artist has also lived in California, Utah, Alberta, Canada, and New York, among other places. Jesse Corning was educated at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He graduated in 1992 with two four-year honors degrees, one in studio art/painting, and the other in film. Recently he has become a full time artist and made Eureka, California his home.