Moving Surface, Rich Rawlyk’s first solo show, illustrates his exploration and reaction to place and land. Examining our impact on each other, the act of observing and documenting has become a meditation that enables Rich to better understand the landscapes he is a part of. Rich’s graphic design background informs much of his use of space within a composition; bringing about the full potential of a form with the subtle and effective use of negative space. Travel and especially his experiences in the backcountry inform Rich’s subject matter. His often minimalist works plunge the viewer into an experience of a space through the eyes of the artist. The arching lines of a mountain vista evoked in graphic lines of india ink and framed by a background of pure white are the experience of towering peaks, their details lost to a swirling white-out. Mark making and the expression of the hand of the artist are celebrated through stripped-down oil pastel drawings. Land forms, inspired by old geography texts, are minimal in their presentation but no less evocative of place. Graphic lines, created in thick layers of india ink laid down by careful brushstrokes, build up the form of a landscape into a tactile depiction of the raw forms of a mountainscape. Each unique piece in Moving Surface speaks to the energy and passion of the creator, the viewer becomes witness to an experience, shared on paper.
