|
home . on
exhibit
 |
| Eileen Woods has spent the last
two decades drawing and painting the human form. The years
of experience culminate in this exhibit, where several different
series of her figurative explorations are on view. Woods'
interests lie in the interplay between a literal, historical
depiction of the figure and the flat surface upon which that
depiction lies. She layers much of her work with deeply encoded,
metaphorical translations of her personal passions, fears,
and wonder. |
|
|
|
| One group of paintings is of
solitary sleeping men; challenging the art-historical "male
gaze" and allowing the viewer to have an almost voyeuristic
experience at what could be considered a life/death passage.
Another series consists of 140
small portraits of everyone Woods encountered during a
single year in one building at The Ohio State University,
from professors to students to staff. The lively oil portraits
of smiling faces are displayed in a grid much like a huge
page from a yearbook. The third series is one in which Woods
is still immersed, and it is the most hermetic. All paintings
are square, incorporating black paint, graphite, and black
encaustic as foils for the figures that are richly modeled
from so much darkness. Each work draws the viewer into what
could be a dream state where humans, dogs and operatic arias
live together almost logically. |
|
|
|
| Woods was awarded an M.F.A.
from The Ohio State University. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
