Andrea Way at Marsha Mateyka - Brief Article

If you could only see Andrea Way's intricate ink-and-acrylic-on-wood pieces from a distance of, say, 12 feet, you would be in for major deprivation and frustration. What are you looking at? City maps? Wiring layouts? Computer schematics? Well, as you move closer to the delicate and multilayered paintings (a perfect distance is arm's length), the shimmering rewards become apparent. While the largest are 24 by 32 inches, most are half that size.

Original Self (2000) is set on a blue field; meandering blue lines encircle organic blobs of various sizes. These dark, cloudy shapes appear to be mushrooms seen from below. Or mushroom clouds; very mysterious. Layered over these shapes are constellations of large white dots. The result is lyrical and beautiful.

The show included works from an ongoing series that the artist calls "Gravity Pools." She starts these lovely images by dropping colored ink into pools of water on the support surface. However, after the application of many additional layers, the final image can be very schematic and geometric.

The newest work in the show--geometric and, if possible, even more intricately structured--contains magic of a different kind. The summarizing and climactic Deconstructing Treasures (2001) presents two patterns of interlocking bars and dashes in varied blues that alternate in a grid across the panel. The obsessive mosaic of tiny rectangles confirms the dogged determination and patience required to construct Way's fields of geometric precision and invention. Two Trees (2001) is a tangled array of green and white shapes; a swarm of amoebalike structures is interrupted by gray-black bays and peninsulas. But there is another element: humor. As you are enjoying the lovely interplay of the elements, suddenly you cannot help smiling as you discover a delineated overlay of interlocking jigsaw-puzzle shapes. There are several of these amusing and, at the same time, amazing works in the exhibition.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Brant Publications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group