Marianne Thune Haycock, From Denmark To Wales
Norwegial Church Arts Centre, Cardiff Bay
(The Big Issue - Oct 13th
2003)
Following success in Svendborg, Denmark, Marianne Thune Haycock brings
her work to Cardiff Bay, with From Denmark to Wales, a collection of
framed oil and pastel paintings and a tapestry.
Where Land Meets Sea 1 is a mixture of dark blues and greys. The sea
looks malevolent in its taunting mass at the back of the painting,
waiting to overpower the golden caramel beach sprawling before it.
She continues the theme in Finnboats, in which she creates an enchanting
fish-boat where long , elegant fins that seem to belong to an exotic sea
creature have replaced the traditional white sails. These aid the boat
to perform in a manner not bound by the ususal restrictions.
Continuing with her water theme, Haycock takes us downstream with a
river painting entitled Where Salmon Leap. This work focuses on the
dangerous rocks embedded into the river obstacles facing the salmon on
their perilous journey to swim upstream. The rocks look colossal
compared to the tiny sprays of salmon, and it feels as though we are
being taught a lesson by these creatures who will stop at nothing to
travel upstream to ensure the survival of their species.
Haycock finally comes ashore in her painting Vagabond. Its hard to tell
how old the vagabond is because of the long , matted straw hair covering
his face. Its also diffcult to imagine how much of his perceived age is
due to the strain of his homelessness. The humanitarian theme is
continued in the pastel Mother and Child, where vibrant pinks, reds and
purples signify the strong bond between them.
In the final piece Where Land Meets The Sea 2, the sea has made an
overpowering attempt to reclaim the beach and floods onto the painting
in a rush of blue and grey, dulling the golden hue and sweeping us away
into the dark vast ocean.
An exploration of land and sea which matches its bay-side surroundings
perfectly.
Claire Louise Davies.