LIFE IN THE GARDEN, PART II: AN EVOLUTION Imitation is said to be the highest form of flattery. Evidence of imitation can be found in many human activities including gardening. There are numerous reasons individuals take up gardening, however, the one reason that rings true in all cases is the desire to re-create nature's perfect features within a controlled environment. For artist Carol Kapuscinsky, part of nature's appeal includes the ability of many species of vegetation to live in harmony. As an environmentalist and a humanitarian, the artist aims to encourage this behaviour in mankind. Kapuscinsky's original works for Life in the Garden, make the connection between nature and humans by featuring sunflowers and Nigerian school girls. In this new series, the painter has removed all direct references to human imagery and instead implies only its presence. Maintaining similar constructions, Kapuscinsky's paintings depict wild and cultivated gardens in the forest with tall rectangular trees lining the background of these paintings, in a rhythmic pattern. To the artist, cultivated gardens represent a spiritual connection to her mother and a venue from which to communicate her feelings towards nature. The actual production of a garden reveals our need as humans to take control of our environment and protect it from outside forces. The flowers in Kapuscinsky's garden line the foreground of the painting, discouraging entry and encouraging protection. Collectively, Kapuscinsky's paintings evoke a feeling of surrealism. Cool colours are used throughout and the shapes of objects have been simplified. The most notable feature among these paintings are the trees. Void of all greenery, only the mid-section of the trees are painted and their shape has been defined by simple repetitive rectangles. The artist explains that during her drives into the country she noticed, when looking into a forest, that one only really sees part of the tree trunks. The surrealist feeling of the paintings is reinforced further with the addition of a pure blue sky backdrop. Kapuscinsky's paintings raise the viewer's awareness of the environment by filtering away all extraneous objects and focusing on simplified shapes and colours. The vegetative foreground and surrealist backgrounds tell a story about nature's ability to live in harmony and the importance of protecting its existence. Exhibition Catalogue Admira Nezirevic The Station Gallery, Life in the Garden, Part II June 1996