CASPER BRINDLE
LIGHT | GLYPHS
SEPTEMBER 11 - DECEMBER 4, 2021
With Light | Glyphs, Casper Brindle presents two new bodies of work, each involving dramatic investigations into light, color and perspective. The results are poetic, sensual and spatially dynamic. Utilizing automotive paints, pigmented acrylic and metal leaf, Brindle has created works that reflect and diffuse light in ways that are nuanced and engaging. Glyphs refer to pre-linguistic, ancient modes of communication, where symbols or marks were carved in relief to convey ideas in lieu of words. Transformative and mysterious, Casper Brindle’s newest series, Light | Glyphs, plays on this notion.
Brindle cites his love of nature as a major source of inspiration for his work. He is a passionate surfer and has utilized his time on the water to study and explore the sensory effects of light and color through ever-shifting densities of atmosphere.
A contemporary disciple of the 1960s & 70s Light and Space generation, Brindle is intrigued by the experiences triggered by color and light. Utilizing a variety of materials and styles, Brindle’s work engages the viewer in experiences that inspire both reflection and interaction, as one begins to explore the enigmatic spaces of perception. Brindle has referred to the process in which he creates his works as trance-like.
In the first of his newest series, Light-Glyphs, a range of colors illuminate the interior of translucent sculptural boxes. The color is muted and light diffused through frosted surfaces. At center, a thin blade of colorful pigmented acrylic catches light and gains focus, like a beacon cutting through fog. The effect is quietly dramatic, and extends the artist’s investigations into the visual effects of color, light and atmosphere that Brindle has explored in earlier series.
In addition to the Light-Glyphs, Brindle has been evolving his Portals series, a collection of large-scale paintings on linen. These new iterations, entitled Portal-Glyphs, are expanded in scale and complexity, covered in lush fields of color. Working within the constraints of unyielding ninety-degree angles, Brindle applies color with a Fauvist abandon, creating works with an otherworldly presence. As in the Light-Glyphs, a cryptic central form, appears as a bar of gold or silver leaf, enshrouded in gradients of color. It is a form that draws the viewer deeper into the illusory depths of the canvas, anchoring our attention against the constant pull of time and distraction, so that we might pause and reflect.
While Brindle’s work has clear ties to the materiality of the Finish Fetish and Light and Space movements, Brindle synthesizes these sensibilities to create something entirely his own. Brindle’s work captivates the viewer in expansive fields that not only delight the senses, but have the power to elicit deeper emotional responses. Utilizing tools and techniques adopted from Southern California’s distinctive car culture, Brindle applies fine layers of airbrushed sprays to create atmospheric gradations of subtle depth. In his early works, Brindle often embedded glowing tubes of LEDs in his paintings, but he has now managed to harness the effect of light purely through his use of the materials themselves.
CASPER BRINDLE
Born in Toronto in 1968, Brindle’s family relocated to Los Angeles in 1974, and he has called the city home ever since. Growing up surfing the beaches of LA’s coast undoubtedly made a profound impact on the artist. Brindle started painting as a teen and in his early twenties, he apprenticed for the pioneering Light and Space artist Eric Orr.
Casper Brindle’s work has been exhibited across the United States and internationally. This exhibition is the artist’s seventh solo exhibition with the gallery. His work is held in a number of prominent private and museum collections including the Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation and the Morningside College Collection in Sioux City, IA.