Heidi Melamed

My obsession with the parabolic shape is the design foundation of my studio practice. Using the parabola as a visual tool, I explore the creative possibilities of this shape - appearing in geometric, as well as in organic form through dripped and poured paint. In Imaginary Spaces Series, colour masquerades as both opaque and translucent, shining and matte, textured and smooth. Employing materials such as coloured Perspex and glitter alongside paint of varying degrees of viscosity, I attempt to incorporate light into the surface of the painting. Parabolic ellipses orbit each other and intersect, creating compositional segments that advance and recede before our eyes. These ‘Imaginary Spaces’ can be read in a multitude of ways spatially. Perhaps we are exploring a dark forest or an undersea grotto, gazing at a planetary constellation or meteor shower, or navigating a complex internal psychological space. I attempt to strike a balance between the controlled and the unexpected, where the artwork-object is the starting point, colour and light are permitted to interplay. The essence of my practice delves into ones’ interaction with colour – how we perceive, interpret and experience colour and light. These paintings offer a viewing experience that I hope encapsulating ones’ joy of seeing.