I think of art as a series of possibilities were there are no endings, only beginnings with mapping paths for future developments. When Dr Desiree Cox comes to mind the first term that surfaces is 'Performance'.Much of Dr Cox's energy, from walking, talking, singing, writing and yes, painting, comes from a place of theatrically-driven stories and narratives. She recently put on a display of paintings at the Breezes Superclubs property on the Cable Beach strip during a jazz festival.
In keeping with her spirit as a jazz musician, the main thrust of these works is one of accompaniment to a larger, and perhaps less present at that particular moment (apart from what became the soundtrack of her presentation playing quietly in the background off her recent album) feeling of longing for the next step.
In keeping with the idea of art complementing the environment in which it is presented is one often of conflict when showing paintings in a space that was not designed or transformed to accommodate such efforts. As a result of this Dr Cox's work suffers its initial and significant blow.
The gaudy Baroque wall-to-wall carpeting and Victorian style valances and curtains are enough of a statement on their own without the competition of colorfully ambitious compositions suspended from the ceiling by fishing line in the approximately 20 x 20 ft. space provided for the artist.
Given the unfortunate decor of the space provided, Dr Cox's move to suspend the works from the ceiling was a smart one, moving the easel-sized works off the wall into a dimension that allowed the viewer to more freely wander through the space and experience the works in a more organic way.
The surfaces of her canvases were seductively and skillfully crafted with warm primary palettes of color that streamed through the compositions in a way that suggested a kind of dream-like landscape scenario.
Not unlike the way her music functions, her paintings follow almost in an illustrative manner to the overall mood of the music, which is one of solemn and quiet self-reflection and projections of optimism.
Dr Cox's choice to present the paintings hung from the ceiling turned the works into partitions in the space that collectively transform the presentation into a kind of landscape of landscapes. This presentation screams out for future use of more alternative materials like sheer fabrics or homemade papers and the departure of the four-side rigidity of stretched canvas.
Materials that support the nature of the content of her work, which appears more whimsically organic and far less concrete. Given the traditional use of oil on canvas as a process, though well executed, remained somewhat obvious. This may have proven limiting in terms of enriching the experience with illusions of transparency and layering to discover her imagery. Instead what is experienced is initially engaging, but soon becomes predictably dense and heavy handed.
By extension, this handling of paint misses a chance to reinforce the potential power of the overall presentation. The strong subjects of Dr Cox's paintings remain well supported by a deep sense of connection to the themes and mellow nuances of her music. Like most good art, when it functions effectively, the ideas come from a place other than one preoccupied with technical trappings of an art based only on academic standards.
The most sophisticated aspect of Dr Cox's paintings are the subtly complex subjects, which she has clearly investigated on a soul searching level. Dr Cox's raw experience as an avid thinker and artistic laborer affords her success in communicating her own private-public expressions. The total fluency of a contemporary visual vocabulary being utilized in this particular instance functions on most levels but not on all. However, Dr Cox succeeds in making it matter where it counts. The ability to manifest a personal narrative in ways that are engaging enough to spark interest and anticipation, given the limitations of the space, should be applauded.
Dr Cox's works again cry out like a second child to her music that looks forward to the arrival of a third child, which may come in the form a new kind of 'performance art'. Perhaps one driven by her melodic sensibility, informing visually lush landscapes in which the next story can be told.
All in all, not a bad performance.
John Cox
November 13, 2006
Source: The Nassau Guardian
