Meghan Armstrong

I am interested in the further exploration of how objects in space become an index of time.My intent is to represent the traces of time, life, decay, nostalgia and history through the characteristics of an object.My interest lies in these objects power to evoke feelings and memories.

Light and shadow are used as a means to discover an object within time as well as an indicator of the passage of time.The subtle nuances of light found within the rich black of a mezzotint uncover the object and alludes to a history.As Gaston Bachelard says in "The Poetics of Space" what should "be expressed is hidden grandeur, depth...losing oneself in the detail of light and shade, one feels that one is in the presence of an 'essential' impression seeking expression."Shadow is used to define an object as it is brought out of darkness, just as a thought would emerge from one's memory.

The objects represented vary from pocket watches, keys, pears, lampposts, to passageways and staircases, all of them worn and bearing traces of time.The pocket watches; a standard indication of time, are without hands and therefore are incapable of displaying time - a moment captured, the timeless clocks a metaphor for the continuum of life.Staircases are presented as passageways traveling both in and out of time.They act as an index, where we have been and where we are going, our past and our future.Staircases also represent choices, as direction is not indicated; they could be traveling up or down.Stairs can give images of hesitation, temptation, desire, security, welcome and respect.A scored mezzotint breaks up the flawless image of pears, a metaphor for natural life and its eventual deteriation.

My work is presented as windows, usually very small and intimate, that allows glimpses into time and memory.Inhabited space transcends geometric space; objects in space become an index of time.

191525 x 6.1 cm  Etching and chine collé  

Untitled6.7 x 4.6 cm  Etching and chine collé  

Unititled - Pear5.75 x 2 in.  Hand-coloured etching  

Torn9.2 x 8.6 cm  Mezzotint and chine collé  

Just Now IV12.4 x 7.6 cm  Mezzotint and chine collé  

Just Now II9.9 x 14.9 cm  Mezzotint, drypoint and chine collé  

Just Now III27.6 x 30.1 cm  Mezzotint and chine collé  

Please email the gallery to view more works by Meghan Armstrong .

Selected Education
2003 Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB





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