Polly Thayer (Starr) (1904-2006) wrote, “I want to learn to see with my whole being, and to communicate what I experience. William Blake called it seeing through the eye rather than with the eye; instead of superimposing my own expectations on a subject, I seek what the form will reveal of essence, what the visible will tell me of the invisible. It is an effort that requires intense, prayerful attention, but if the seeing is honest and the hand is well trained, a revelation will emerge.”
Known for her portraits and landscapes, her florals are soft abstractions as if the substance of the blossoms has gone on and left their essence behind. In The Bowl, gossamer Queen Anne’s lace and substantial pink and blue hydrangea blend in an explosion of color. Eric Wert’s philosophy is not dissimilar to that of Thayer.
He says, “While my technique is precise, the paintings are a meditation on the impossibility of control over nature—human and otherwise. They’re vanitas paintings, about the transitory nature of wealth, life, relationships and understanding.” His upended still lifes, such as Basilisk, are odes to art history and to the deeper beauty in the conventionally beautiful. His wife, Marci Rae McDade, an expert in fiber arts, introduced him to the rich fabrics that appear in his paintings. I was about to comment on the unusual black background of Basilisk until I looked closely and saw its subtle blue, black and red pattern. The translucent veins of the carnivorous sarracenia flowers are a natural complement to the intricate design of the copper framework for the enamel on the Japanese green cloisonné vase.
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