Death Valley +

BREDA BURNS .......... exhibition of her paintings at No 10 Ormond Quay in Dublin Much of her work is Large in Scale and was tempted by the availability of a venue capable of displaying it, however briefly. The show's title, Death Valley + indicates that the starting point was a visit to Death Valley, but the work evolved to encompass other concerns as well. The Death Valley pieces are expansive polyptychs. Burns likes intense colour and she takes chances with it that on the whole, work out happily.

Most pieces are boldly conceived and followed through with spirit. She builds up images from layers of pattern, representations and text, applying paint in several different ways and generating surfaces that at their best recall the complexity of Peter Doig.

Because her mode of working is dependent on touch and spontaneity, occasionally things don't quite go smoothly, but more often than not she gets it right. The shimmering patterns of Dive Inn, the intricate layering of Double Figures and the feeling for texture in Across the Way indicate a lively, provocative talent..

AIDAN DUNNE. Visual art critic. Published in the The Irish Times.

Photos courtesy of  Dr. Dragana Jurisic