Cordeaux paintings

Press, 2 September 1986, Page 6

Cordeaux paintings

“Tbe Dare ®f Ow lives," Patetifflgs by J»4it& Cordeanx, at the CSJL Gallery until September 7. Reviewed by Pat Unger. Judith Cordeaux exhibits 12 works in gouache with wax-markings on paper. She paints with a controlled casuateess teat indicates a continuing maturity of style. Leavteg behind tee cute, shapes and child-like entertainments of past work, Cordeaux flattens and contrives her images into their abstracted space by sometimes colouring areas and sometimes washing over tee gouache. This creates works of all-over imagemarking afloat in units of space; not unlike tee style of Jean Miro.

Her marks, picked oat with wax and black line, vary from freely drawn circles, banana shapes, lights, crabs, sea-slugs and slaters, to hints of flags, boats, birds, washing, wringers and other objects to be puzzled over. By avoiding her previous conglomerates of a child’s world and keeping explicit shapes awash with a pleasing vagueness, her two-dimensional designs have a degree of freshness, a subtlety of tone and sensitivity to paint that speak of advancement Cordeaux makes more use of linear scribbling and harmoni-

ous colours in works teat are, for the most part, balanced compositions and not isolated objects in a board. Occasionally, images that are stronger than their surrounds, such as a tunnel or a stick-figure, dent tee fiat allusiom but tee visual play of mark.

space and colour is generally maintained. this small exhibition allows Cordeaux to record and control visually. the mundane and unusual events in her life. Her personal imagery is of interest and her method of work is modestly innovative and appealing.