TIM CROSS \ NEW TREES
Sharon Arnold
August 2017
This curatorial essay is the documentation from Tim Cross' solo exhibition, New Trees.
We are extremely honored to present New Trees, Tim Cross’ second solo exhibition with Bridge Productions. In Cross’ new body of work, he will continue his exploration of color, form, and material to describe his fantastical science fiction scenery and unfamiliar chromatic terrain. The title New Trees suggests a hint of new growth and optimism emerging from the foreign ground. As we view this new land through Cross’ fractured kaleidoscopic perspective, we imagine a new beginning.
Tim Cross composes these large-scale works using pre-cut pieces of laser-printed paper, then arranging them on an armature of silk cloth to build up the imagery. The final result is a soft, floating piece that resembles something between a painting, print, silkscreen, or batik-dyed cloth. Cross refers to each of these cut and transferred pieces as his brushstroke: building hue, value, and form the same way a painter builds layers and architecture into a composition.
Because of the way transfers deposit pigment on the surface, this kind of work is often mistaken for a print. This isn’t entirely incorrect - the technique leaves large blocks of ink on the surface in a similar process as printmaking. Specifically, the ink is transferred from the paper onto a surface in this case, silk, by soaking the paper and fabric in matte medium which adheres it to the surface. The texture will vary depending on the photo or drawing chosen, its color, and whether it is a carbon or laser copy. Each hand cut patch represents an element of another drawing or photograph that the artist has selected based on the kind of mark, saturation, or shape it will leave on the surface.
Some of these ready-made printouts depict maps and roadways; photographs of trees and green spaces; satellites, planetary rovers, or other fictional vehicles meant for traveling to the moon or Mars. Other images are manufactured color fields resembling hazy skies, sometimes mirrored like some sort of Rorschach inkblot. And still others are are abstractions that he has drawn himself, copied, and multiplied to use. These textures not only create fields of repetitive shapes, but physical cracks and folds, revealing the weakness of the medium while incorporating it as part of the composition. Every structural element is exposed. The frayed edge of the paper is often left on the surface of the silk. Nothing is hidden, polished, or overly finished.
Though unfamiliar at first, we come to realize New Trees is an analogy for the rapidly changing landscape of the cities where we live, but with a bit of hope for the earth to prevail, and the emergence of the new.
We are extremely honored to present New Trees, Tim Cross’ second solo exhibition with Bridge Productions. In Cross’ new body of work, he will continue his exploration of color, form, and material to describe his fantastical science fiction scenery and unfamiliar chromatic terrain. The title New Trees suggests a hint of new growth and optimism emerging from the foreign ground. As we view this new land through Cross’ fractured kaleidoscopic perspective, we imagine a new beginning.
Tim Cross composes these large-scale works using pre-cut pieces of laser-printed paper, then arranging them on an armature of silk cloth to build up the imagery. The final result is a soft, floating piece that resembles something between a painting, print, silkscreen, or batik-dyed cloth. Cross refers to each of these cut and transferred pieces as his brushstroke: building hue, value, and form the same way a painter builds layers and architecture into a composition.
Because of the way transfers deposit pigment on the surface, this kind of work is often mistaken for a print. This isn’t entirely incorrect - the technique leaves large blocks of ink on the surface in a similar process as printmaking. Specifically, the ink is transferred from the paper onto a surface in this case, silk, by soaking the paper and fabric in matte medium which adheres it to the surface. The texture will vary depending on the photo or drawing chosen, its color, and whether it is a carbon or laser copy. Each hand cut patch represents an element of another drawing or photograph that the artist has selected based on the kind of mark, saturation, or shape it will leave on the surface.
Some of these ready-made printouts depict maps and roadways; photographs of trees and green spaces; satellites, planetary rovers, or other fictional vehicles meant for traveling to the moon or Mars. Other images are manufactured color fields resembling hazy skies, sometimes mirrored like some sort of Rorschach inkblot. And still others are are abstractions that he has drawn himself, copied, and multiplied to use. These textures not only create fields of repetitive shapes, but physical cracks and folds, revealing the weakness of the medium while incorporating it as part of the composition. Every structural element is exposed. The frayed edge of the paper is often left on the surface of the silk. Nothing is hidden, polished, or overly finished.
Though unfamiliar at first, we come to realize New Trees is an analogy for the rapidly changing landscape of the cities where we live, but with a bit of hope for the earth to prevail, and the emergence of the new.
Tim Cross is a Seattle-based artist working in drawing, collage, painting and sculpture. He received a B.A. from The Evergreen State College and an MFA from The School of The Art Institute of Chicago. While Cross employs various unorthodox applications of traditional materials, which are visible in his aesthetic, drawing and collage are still at the heart of his expansive practice. Northwest-born, he has a strong connection to the region, and his work is heavily inspired by the culture and landscape of the surrounding area.
To see more information about each image, simply click on a thumbnail below to begin scrolling through the gallery.
To see more information about each image, simply click on a thumbnail below to begin scrolling through the gallery.