Italian landscapes and interiors

Press, 6 December 1989, Page 26

Italian landscapes and interiors

Josie Jay-Martin presents a series of works painted during three months spent in Italy earlier this year; at the C.S.A. Gallery from December 7 to January 21. Jay-Martin attended an international school of art run by tutors from New York in Todi, a town approximately two hours north of Rome. Her accommodation was a thirteenth century monastry where she lived amongst

Franciscan monks, taking part in the festivals and ceremonies which took place there. Her studio was San Giacomo, a large villa in Todi which she shared with other artists while working on the paintings. She found the light in Italy quite different from the clear light and sharply defined forms in New Zealand. The paintings reflect the pinkish light and resulting muted colours of Italian land-

scape and architectural form. Each painting is made up of interlocking shapes abstracted from reality, denoting these forms and conveying a sense df the essence of Italy. The solid forms convey a sense of the art which impressed her in Italy. The colours and solidly modelled elements in the fresco paintings of Giotto have influenced these works.