Young painter proves a successful abstract artist

by Victoria Gritton

"Reflections," a collection of paintings now on display at Swanson Cralle Gallery, presents the work of Heath Seymour, one of the youngest artists currently shown by the gallery. The exhibit displays some of the most refined and successful abstract paintings in the area.

Seymour's technique of combining soft colors amid a subtle layering of acrylic paint and pastels, builds an individual atmosphere and density within each piece. This layering proposes movement and delicate rhythms, which also creates a richness not often found in acrylic painting.

Seymour, who will complete his degree at Western Kentucky University in the spring, began experimenting with acrylics to conquer his dislike for them. Perhaps it was his initial aversion to the medium that led to his achievement of such successful and strong results.

There are no hard edges or coarse brush-strokes in Seymour's works - just smooth, layered colors that allow the imagery of oval shapes, lines and dots to guide the flow of the pieces. The artist's technique is one that translates well from canvas to paper and in his water color paintings.

In some of the works the composition is simple , with just a few visual components. Others lend themselves to a complex set-up of oval shapes and sketchy lines amid receding and overlapping configurations of color. This is evident in "Collision # 11," where the imagery, rather than the color, hints at a tangling of an underwater world of fish.

Other paintings incorporate double imagery. In such pieces, two small squares are set in the center of each painting with the same image repeated inside each one. This communicates the overall theme of the show: reflections, and how things reflect back onto each other.

Seymour's images evolve from photographs of trips or from simple objects like matches or fishing lures, which when recorded onto canvas could be interpreted as anything. Rather ambiguous in nature, these images convey a general motif as Seymour wishes the viewer to see what they will.

An example of this is "Cell # 5." In this painting are stacked cell-type shapes opposite a fishing lure. Yet one wouldn't think of or recognize it as such in context of the piece. Other images are just abstract constructions, such as in "Weave," which was taken from a sketch for an installation.

With so much going on in the artist's works, no single element controls the viewer's eye. Seymour's soft, graceful shapes and lines balance the impact of the combinations of materials used. As enigmatic and light as these paintings appear, there are subtle suggestions of a deeper meaning than what is spelled out on the surface and each piece is open to a loose interpretation of the theme.

Heath Seymour's "Reflections" will run through November 22.

The LEO, published in Louisville, KY