Review
"
The Translucent Edge as Transcendence: The Works of Michael Lownie"
excerpt:
"Michael Lownie lives and works in San Francisco – a city at the sharp
confluence of earth, sea, and sky. And the theme of so much of his work
is the nature of boundary. The painting’s titles describe boundaries
in space (Epicenter, Crevasse, Fissure, and Horizon); boundaries in
time (Dusk West, Crack of Dawn, Silver Solstice, Afterglow, Dawn, and
‘Round Midnight); the fulcrum moments of historic events (Tsunami,
Hurricane Watch, and Hanging Chad); and ultimate boundaries of
reality (Speed of Light, Disappearing Act, and Creation). More importantly,
behind the titles, boundary is the intrinsic theme of the works
themselves (as described below) light and dark. Beacon, is a shaft of
light in the dark; and its inverse, Dawn, is a shaft of dark in the light.
Unlike the unbounded continuum of real macroscopic light, here the
edges between dark and light are clearly defined, yet translucent at
their intersection. By accepting all boundaries, Lownie has shown a
world where light and dark can coexist, thus transcendent."
Michael Lownie thanks John Weick for his thoughtful insight, so eloquently written and graciously given.
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John Weick is a composer and engineer. He teaches writing at Rutgers University.
