“You don’t have to speak” by Grace Kotze and Melody French Opening Monday, 21 September at 6/6:30p.m.

“You don’t have to speak” is an exhibition showcasing new paintings by Melody French and Grace Kotze.  Looking at the work in broad terms, it describes why both French and Kotze choose visual arts as their means of communication and not words. Neither artist feels the need to “spell out” the meaning of their emotions. French’s atmospheric landscapes and Kotze’s portraits and life observations describe the artist internal state yet the viewers are given space for their own interpretations.

 

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 Grace Kotze’s thoughts on her work:

Painting is the way I celebrate life, gain understanding and find stability. Yet under the pressure of needing to make money from sales I constantly double guess my decisions. This is the part of the process that causes me great anxiety, as there are often times where I question whether I am making authentic decisions or making compromises in order to please the market place. This exhibition is a modest yet very important one for me where I am giving myself the gift of acknowledging the importance of my eyes in the process. “You don't have to speak” acknowledges my acceptance of my need to be confident in my vision.

For me it’s a show where I don't over explain with grand visual declarations but rather paint small exploratory works describing some of the people and places that life introduces into my being.

Melody French describes her work: 

“You don’t have to speak” is to me, exactly as the statement implies. Sometimes things feel over described, and over stated.

So In the quietness of a brush mark I can enjoy the feeling it gives me, or enjoy how I feel when I am in my creative emotional space quietly and internally.

Without having to emphasize with words what I am doing, feeling or why.

There is an infinite amount to be felt when ‘its’ not always said, sometimes words seem to solid and definite, sometimes I like that, but that’s not what this is about.

I would rather my work be looked at without a statement. To feel it for you, no matter what those feelings are.

Closing on Saturday, 10 October at 2p.m.