Local look: chico
MUSINGS ON THE CHICO ART SCENE
“Hiraeth” is a Welsh word analogous to homesickness, or a feeling of nostalgia for a place. An inescapable theme in Littlefield’s current exhibit is the loss of his childhood home in the Camp Fire. Revisiting the area, observing the skeletal remains of buildings and the metamorphosis of residual surfaces provides the foundation for such pieces as Confluence. The mottled texture of the white paint mimics the oxidized Maytag appliances enduring their new outdoor circumstances. With the occasional branch, mountain shape, blade of grass, the viewer can sense a landscape in the abstract application of color.
Yet there is added complexity with the prevalence of shimmering swaths of gold and vermillion. This color combination relates to celebration, associating with the Chinese colors of the New Year and money envelopes given to children as gifts. Bold red in the context of the fire could conjure the devastating power of nature, but Littlefield’s abstract use of colors in the landscape dissociates the images from that context. Yes, the charcoal gray and powder-blue washes create veils within the landscapes that could be interpreted as smoke, but also mist, or simply experimentation with color and texture. The series of small pieces requires close looking and dazzles with pairings of rich, bold colors, soft translucent layers, and strong warm/cool contrasts. The interesting textures are amplified by using paper grocery bags as supports. The creases add to the structural elements of Littlefield’s landscapes. Working in a smaller space, meant Littlefield had to work correspondingly smaller. The ephemeral and disposable nature of the paper bag contrasts the idea of the preciousness of art…the idea that somehow objects last forever. The word hiraeth came from Littlefield’s Welsh heritage. While the loose definition works poetically for describing his experience post-fire, the idea of translation is also an integral part of the work. Translation is always imperfect. There are so many elements to language (gesture, sentiment, idioms) that are lost, require verbose explanations, or simply don’t make sense in another language. When describing personal loss, perhaps this can be true too. Abstraction of forms in a visual language is a way of translating these feelings of loss and transience. I contemplate Littlefield’s experience as he enraptures the opening reception audience with stories, humor, historical knowledge and antiquated pop culture references. A natural performer. I take a moment to glance at the beaming faces of his friends and think- maybe he has found a new home. “Hiraeth” will be on view at the LaRocca Tasting Room (W. 2nd Street) through February.
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AuthorSara Smallhouse is tenure-track faculty in Art History at Butte College, teaches every once in a while at CSU, Chico, and is on the Board of Directors of monca (Museum of Northern California Art). She likes to walk around and look at things with her family, friends, or solo. Archives
February 2022
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