Whitney Art Works Whitney Art Works Calendar Past Exhibitions Upcoming Exhibitions Current Exhibitions

Deborah Randall at Walker Terrace

"As a child I spent countless hours at the beach digging deep holes in the sand desperate to reach China by nightfall. Groups of unsupervised kids played Tag and Capture the Flag in the street. Polliwogs in mayonnaise jars were kept hostage at my bedside until they sprouted legs. Under impossibly tall oak trees, mysterious moss and lichen covered mounds blanketed the backyard and made nice tables to serve mud pie. These places from childhood inform my palette and the surface of my paintings. By playing with other children I learned the rules of our social system and the nature of gender roles.

In the broadest sense, my work addresses the human condition as it relates to the experience of being, existence, the passage of time, and mortality. Imagery ranges from abstract to more literal depiction inspired by personal narratives through memories of childhood, dreams and everyday experiences. I am curious about the relationships we have as children and how they inform our behavior as adults. I am also nostalgic for an idealistic past that never really existed and make paintings because images are more evocative than words. Inspiration comes from a particular expression or gesture of the figure that I manipulate symbolically. Deliberately ambiguous narrative and distortion of the figures serve as metaphors for adult relationships and personal realizations.

I have no preconceived notions of the final product and often begin an image with one idea and by the end a new subject or theme emerges. A painting can be a record of a certain period that grows out of the process of searching and questioning, obscuring, and revealing. With subsequent layers exposed, then covered, the passage of time becomes evident in the work. Ultimately, forms are manipulated and distorted at the expense of visual order. An effort is made at finding the truth by developing the places in a painting that are authentic."

- Deborah Randall

Walker Terrace is a "window gallery" which features installations on a rotating schedule. It is located on Congress Street near the Maine Medical Center.

PRINT /  EMAIL


<b>Deborah Randall</b>, <i>Better Left Unsaid</i>, oil enamel on panel
Deborah Randall, Better Left Unsaid, oil enamel on panel

<b>Deborah Randall</b>, <i>Bad Dog</i>, oil enamel on panel
Deborah Randall, Bad Dog, oil enamel on panel

© Whitney Art Works, All Rights Reserved. 45 York Street, Portland, Maine 04101 Voice: 207-780-0700