Luke Naylor BA / BFA
In speech, regional expressions are termed a vernacular. It seems equally appropriate to speak of the "vernacular" in connection with an art that expresses local ways of life.” (Harper 1974: 4) Previous work For the past decade I have been working largely in figurative paintings. The paintings depict characters and scenes of what I would consider ‘local’ to the Maritime. The paintings often have a sense of isolation, loss or failure at hand. I also like to call on what architect Brian MacKay-Lyons notes as a sort of stinginess or meanness that’s present in Maritime culture, especially rural Nova Scotia. My work has received attention at various shows and galleries, most notably Argyle Fine Art, in Halifax, N.S, which has been very supportive of my work and career. Recent work Recently I have been moving back towards abstract work, which is the tradition I began in, studying closely with Gerald Ferguson at NSCAD. In 2009 I was invited to participate in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s “Arena: The Art of Hockey” show. As a former junior and varsity hockey player, I found an entry point back into a life-long pursuit in this show, and this sparked a renewed interest in exploring the tensions in the romanticized and commercialized Tim Horton/Ken Danby style hockey imagery we all know, and the more authentic underbelly of hockey I knew from my playing days. I have begun a new series called FIGHTS. Using my computer I take an image and work it down to a two color image. I let hockey jerseys inform my color choices then paint the fight blurring the line between abstraction and figure painting. The paintings are meant to evoke the childhood nostalgia many Canadians hold for the game, and yet the viewer cannot help but confront the shear aggressiveness inherent in a bare-knuckle fistfight. By stripping the image down, the viewer is left with their own views on hockey, fighting and violence, while the low brow and high brow are instantly coupled in the tradition of vernacular art and design.