Absorbing myself in the world of internet publications, it was lovely when reading posts on Berlin-based website Ignant to find an artist in Cornwall I hadn't heard of. I am sure there are many I don't yet know, but finding an artist from my neck of the woods just makes me feel instantly intrigued by their work. Jess Allen, originally from Dorset, is married to sculptor Simon Allen and lives on the moorland near St Ives, the Cornish town famed for its wonderful light.
Light is important to Allen, her paintings return to the theme of shadows, impressions and moments that are so evocative and familiar they draw us in. Her subjects are minimal, inconsequential even, but beautiful. An open book left on the side, an embrace played out on the living room wall in shadow form or perhaps stacks of cardboard boxes, piled in such a way we stand and stare where naturally we would pay no heed.
It is the peace also I feel enriched by, Jess says of her work "I have become increasingly interested in the way certain objects and subjects can, and do suggest meaning beyond their immediate physical appearance" and in her Ignant interview she goes on to say "shadows interest me immensely because they are silent and ephemeral. “They are evocative, and like memories, they are a bit hazy. In a way, they are a minimal representation of our physical selves."
I also like seeing all the rich colours of light and shade she brings out in her work, I find myself scanning my room and seeing renewed beauty in the folds of my curtains or where the shelf meets the wall and enjoying all the hues it casts.
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