BA Fine Art, Falmouth University, 2020Sophie Perkins' paintings operate according to the same principles as landscape itself, enacting the land. Surfaces stained and soaked in natural pigment organise through gravity, accumulation, erosion and pause, leaving traces, deposits and residues that feel closer to geology than gesture.The contemplative and dynamic energy of the work oscillates between chance, control and careful restraint. Working with watered-down acrylic mediums and natural pigments, I use a pouring and soak-stain technique that has its own 'living' quality. The raw canvas creates 'breathing spaces', accentuating a contemplative space of balance, liminality and changing states. Working on large-scale canvases requires an immersive approach using bodily gestures – I catch and drag the paint with my hands and arms, carrying the landscape in my arms, in the words of Helen Frankenthaler.
