In the thick of it

 

In the thick of it 

Harmony

Isolation

Signs of Life

Protect the Rose

The Wastelands

Trust

Epiphany

By Tom Wachunas 

“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes” – Mark Twain

   im·pas·to / imˈpastō/ noun: the process or technique of laying on paint or pigment thickly so that it stands out from a surface. 

   EXHIBIT: Impasto Syndrome – paintings by Melissa Goff, at Patina Arts Centre, 324 Cleveland Ave NW, downtown Canton, OH / through March 19, 2022 / After the First Friday (March 4) showing from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm, gallery viewing hours are:  Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm, Saturdays 5:00pm to 9:00pm, and Sundays 12:00 noon to 4:00pm

   What do you think of when you hear or read the word syndrome? Usually, it refers to groupings of symptoms that together characterize a particular disease or disorder.

   It certainly is an arresting enough word to associate with an art exhibit, seeming to imply there might be something wrong with the art. In a recent interview with Ed Balint published in Canton’s Repository newspaper (Feb. 24 issue), self-taught painter Melissa Goff expressed a nervous sense of inadequacy about her work when she said, “The show title is a reference to New York and that imposter syndrome feeling I have when you can call yourself an artist.”

   After seeing this exciting exhibit – her first solo show in Canton – I think she should put her anxiety aside. Wordnerd that I am, I appreciate a rarer definition of syndrome: any set of concurrent things (such as emotions or actions) that can form an identifiable pattern. So if Goff can be said to manifest a syndrome, it’s not at all a troubling abnormality. In her case, it’s a benevolent affliction of affection for abundant application of oil paint. (Yikes - wordnerd strikes again.)  

   This show of some 60 paintings is in large part a wildly eclectic array of recognizable subjects. They’re often rendered in a very broad, loose manner, eschewing illusionistic detail, favoring instead the gestural actions of the artist’s intuitive hand. As if to say a picture is worth a thousand brushstrokes.

    The most remarkable and engaging pieces here are sumptuous, assertive surfaces that inch closer to nonobjective abstraction. To a notable extent they feel grounded in and inspired by the historical legacy of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Sometimes they recall the elegant, layered brushwork of Monet, or echo the visceral, expressionistic tactility of van Gogh.

   That said, Goff’s pictures aren’t just verbatim quotations of painting history. They’re not merely repetitions. Whether whispered or shouted, they are compelling - indeed beautiful - rhymes.