Eugene Koch: Lines of Sight
Eugene Koch, String Theory II, scored acrylic, 12" x 18"
August 21st - September 3, 2009
Artist's Reception August 21st, 4 - 7 p.m.
In his studio atop Russ Hill in Stonington, Eugene Koch has created art for over twenty years. During that time, his work has taken various forms, but his improvisational and intuitive process has been a constant, as has his preoccupation with using lines as mantra, a repetition intended to clear the mind as one passes into a contemplative state.
Over time, the lines have taken different shapes, colors and media. Koch’s experimentation with materials and process is unending. He has scratched into layers of ink and paint on large panels, and has created sculpture by applying the process to objects. In recent years, he began scratching into clear acrylic panels, creating multiple layers of lines. Shadows added yet another dimension, as did illumination with LED lighting.
It would be difficult, particularly in the pieces using horizontal lines, not to see water surfaces, atmospheric conditions, and sometimes even horizons. Koch acknowledges the influence of his Stonington surroundings on his work, but concedes that his intent is not to evoke the landscape. Rather, he allows it to come forth in abstraction. Sometimes after the fact, Koch titles the work accordingly, and the titles fit.
The Fogbound series began after Koch experienced a straight week of fog and he felt compelled to begin wrapping fishing line around panels. For the first panel, he used a mile and a half of fishing line. Since then, he has experimented with different gauges of line to create variable tones of translucence. The piece in this show uses over three miles of fishing line.
The work in this show proved extremely difficult to photograph. It takes on completely different appearances according to the light, while the reflective quality provides excellent opportunities for self-portraits of the artist. Getting the feeling of layers and translucency is nearly impossible. This is in keeping with Koch’s feeling about his work, that it strives to capture something not quite fathomable, the feeling of a presence that you know is there, perhaps embedded in layers of translucency, but can’t quite touch.