NYAB Event - Jessica McGarry Bartlet “Perception of Initial Conditions”

Jessica McGarry Bartlet “Perception of Initial Conditions”

First Street Gallery

This event has ended.

Overwhelmed - The theme of my life at this moment, yet, also the theme of my body of work. I paint uncontrolled growth in my backyard and call it wilderness. I paint person-less, urban, landscapes of decay and chaos and I still want to call it wilderness. Wilderness comes from bewilderment which comes from “wild”. Wild is chaos. Chaos has dominated my life and that is why I look out and paint my overgrown backyard. I have been trying to observe and record my perception of reality; to celebrate and find beauty in my own chaotic state of being. I have been looking in this whole time-overwhelmed.

Sensitivity to initial conditions means that each point in a chaotic system is arbitrarily closely approximated by other points with significantly different future paths, or trajectories. Thus, an arbitrarily small change, or perturbation, of the current trajectory may lead to significantly different future behavior. -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaos_theory

The researcher’s job is to record, observe, and draw conclusions based on evidence. The artist’s job is to record, observe, and draw conclusions, based on perception. The difference between scientists and artists is the inclusion of the human element to the discussion.

The work is about the perception of reality during moments of chaos and disorder. The work is about feeling and experiencing, and then recording that experience through the action of painting. The funny thing is; chaos and disorder are never truly far. All one has to do is open their eyes. Chaos is closer than you can imagine, closer even, then your hometown or backyard.