a few weeks ago… maybe a month even… i was walking post-brunch around lake merrit and noticed signs overhead for squeak carnwath’s show at the oakland museum. it felt like a sign meant for me! i dropped all other saturday plans and walked over what seemed like a maze of overpasses and underpasses to find the museum.
i have admired squeak’s work for years, but haven’t seen much of it in person. there was a funny older docent whom i initially listened to, but had to give her a rest and just experience the paintings on my own. they were large and all encompassing of the space. it felt a little bit like what i imagine the holiness of church feels to some to see the lush paint up close and mark making.
i love so much about her work. one element was her “scientific” explorations of color and fake graphs that don’t really make sense, but play with that idea of science. i also love her willingness to simply play and experiment with the unknown and how through looking at her painting you can follow her messes and how she changed her mind in one corner and painted over or spilled her paint or put her hand print in. her paintings capture moments in time. paintings capture the essence of time and if they were made at any different point in time would be completely different! like life itself. exactly.
this painting above and concept of a “guilt free zone” in particular rocks! somewhere in the context of the show it was described how squeak had a friend who was diagnosed with cancer and how she wanted to give her friend a “guilt free zone” during that time. i love this. we should all give ourselves a little guilt free zone, right?
squeak makes me want to paint. big with color and my personal symbols incorporated and writing too.
thank you squeak for inspiring me and for your adorable name.