Mark Ewart | Introduction to In its Reflection | A catalogue accompanying the solo exhibition at Solomon Fine Art | 2016
Tom Climent is an archetypal ‘painters’ painter’. His work evolves from an intensive process of constructing and de-constructing surfaces, until a harmonious balance of colour and texture is achieved. And like any artist who pays serious attention to the tactility of paint, Climent’s work firstly captures the viewers’ attention from a distance and then rewards that interest, when the work is studied up close.
Such fidelity to the painted surface is not to suggest for one moment that Climent is defined exclusively by his repertoire of painterly skills; or that he appeals only to fellow artists. These paintings will captivate the public just as much as the art establishment. There is a beguiling universality at play, where the paintings shimmer with an ethereal glow and inner world that resides behind the picture plane. This world is full of uncharted spaces on the cusp of discovery. We drift from place to place, disoriented by the oddly familiar, soundtracked by an unfamiliar Space Oddity.
Crucially, it is this ability to construct images that are evocative of some unnamed place from an undetermined time, which draws the viewer ever deeper into the sonorous depths of the artwork. A penumbral mist conceals details and features in these ‘landscapes’, adding an old-world patina or glow that belongs to a much older era (notwithstanding the modernist aesthetic that keeps the work relevant to contemporary tastes).
Climent’s working process evolves from analysis of geometric shapes – be they cuboid, pyramid or dodecahedron – and from there, experimentation and serendipity takes over. Lines and planes within the limits and laws of perspective collide like fractals, melding together to anchor the structure – on top of which, paint clings like magnetic quicksilver. But these structures morph into something much more beautiful and lyrical than even the most tantalising of mathematical equations.
The central structural motifs that populate each painting are connected, sharing similar traits and inferences. For the artist, these structures can evoke a metaphorical symbolism – such as a bowl, vessel shape or languid pool. The ground underneath could be a courtyard, with hazy mountains in the background, swathed by the effects of aerial perspective. But Climent feels that these are places of refuge – a cabin or bothy for the weary traveller – or perhaps a sanctuary for the hermit to escape blizzards of urban white noise. But the artist is refreshingly egalitarian, happy for the viewer to see what they like in the imagery.
The irresistible urge is to accompany the artist/explorer on his journey, to navigate the maze by finding a route guided either by the pearlescent dawn or the smouldering twilight. Through this iridescent countryside, each painting is a site to rest and take in the view, until eventually, we arrive at ‘a place found’ (to borrow a title from a 2014 exhibition).
Painting can be a cruel and unforgiving process when the materials are uncooperative, or when an artist faces a crisis of confidence. Conversely, paint and colour can easily yield when a rhythm is found. There can be little doubt, that on the strength of this exhibition, Tom Climent has not only found his rhythm, he has well and truly arrived at his destination.
Mark Ewart
Mark Ewart lectures at CIT Crawford College of Art and Design. He is also an art teacher, writer and artist.
Solomon Fine Art, Balfe Street, Dublin 2, Ireland www.solomonfineart.ie