Author Description

This book is a catalog of an exhibition, with background stories and reproductions of earlier stages for some paintings.The catalog contains paintings from three collections. "Burning Ochre" is a series of direct studies from life. Whatever the apparent subject matter of these pieces - from the waves of the Pacific Ocean to a bottle of olive oil - my real focus was on the burning ochre of sunlight and its power to transform everything into an affirmation of life with a single touch. "Structures and Quotes" is a series of direct engagements with masterpieces of the last two centuries, from Van Gogh to Mondrian. This series is both an attempt at a better understanding of associations, links and references pervading the history of painting and a straightforward acknowledgement of influences, a kind of painter's bibliography. "Sonnets in colour" presents the first paintings of a series which will comprise 154 paintings corresponding to 154 Shakespeare sonnets. These are not intended as illustrations, but rather as _translations_ from the language of words and sounds into the language of lines and colour. With each sonnet, I try to go to where there is no difference between poetry and painting, and return back from that place with a painting. Each collection is introduced by a short essay.A free PDF version can be downloaded from www.lenalevin.com.