Galerie McKenzie Marcotte in Wakefield Quebec is pleased to present 'Insulators and Transformers', an exhibition of new work by Wakefield's KATHRYN DRYSDALE. Opening with a vernissage on Friday June 22 at 7 pm and continuing to July 24.

In a time of increasing concern over the devastating effects of the man made world over the natural world, Kathryn Drysdale in 'Insulators and Transformers' examines the uneasy relationship between humans and technology. Against a backdrop of massive hydro electric installations, towers and machinery, the human beings in the work seem vulnerable and overwhelmed by the technology around them. The machines and structures are man made creations, yet in this work it seems that we are dominated by them. We accept their usefulness, seduced by their capacity to provide us with a certain standard of living, yet at what cost? Drysdale invites us to look at this uneasy balance while at the same time she recognizes the terrible beauty of the lines, forms and colours of these imposing structures.

Kathryn Drysdale’s sgraffito drawing technique, (gouache paint over a layer of beeswax, through which she scratches a drawing or wipes away the colour) is the perfect medium for drawing these seductively beautiful structures. The incised lines are crisp, the monochromic works are richly coloured. The rich patina of the wax surface and the organic background achieved by wiping away the gouache are remarkably different from the sharp lines and details of the man made structures; this juxtapostion is a metaphor for the contrast between man as part of nature and humans as being intricately entwined with the technology that they have created.