Walking Stick 2019

Editor: Here we have Cameron Platter's "Walking Stick" from 2019, made using acrylic paint. It's quite striking – just these two, bold blue figures against stark white. There's something almost skeletal about them, yet the brushstrokes give it a very raw energy. What catches your eye, from a formal perspective? Curator: Primarily, it is the articulation of form through line and the strategic deployment of negative space that commands my attention. Platter eschews conventional rendering, opting instead for a dynamic interplay between what is depicted and what is left unsaid. Observe how the density of the acrylic marks coalesces to define the limbs, while simultaneously the stark white voids function as integral components of the composition, imbuing it with a palpable sense of tension. Editor: So you're seeing the negative space as more than just... emptiness? Curator: Precisely. It is not merely an absence but an active formal element that shapes our perception of the figure itself. Moreover, the uniform application of the blue pigment invites contemplation on the materiality of paint and its capacity to convey form through its inherent properties. Does this systematic brushwork hint at any deeper semiotic meaning? Editor: It's interesting; I initially saw it more as abstract, but focusing on those structural elements makes me think about the relationship between representation and abstraction more explicitly. Thank you! Curator: Indeed, such oscillating visual interplay keeps things from stagnating.