Jenny Pockley

Jenny Pockley’s luminous cityscapes juxtapose distant views and street level angles, to display multiple perspectives and a dynamic, revealing way to view the urban environment. The distant views, which Pockley describes as a ‘network and spider web pattern of lights,’ are derived from the artist’s helicopter trips, while the street level paintings focus on the structure of iconic buildings.  Rather than portraying literal views, the two angles examine the effects of artificial light in shaping the structure of these cities from both near and far.

In Manhattan, Pockley’s vibrant contrast of shadow and colour offers a hauntingly beautiful representation of the city, which takes on a hazy dreamlike quality. The vast sky swamps the architectural landmarks in shrouds of colour; shimmering light and beautifully smooth pigment applied over a gesso ground evoke the weight of a rich emotional metaphor. The artist’s poignant use of colour cultivates the viewer’s emotional investment in a city, using it to enliven buildings and views that have become signposts for memories and significant moments in one’s life. Individually, each of Pockley’s works have a restricted colour palette, which allows the artist to focus on the emotive effects of a single hue through layering a combination of tones.  By abstracting the cityscape and focusing on these formal elements of light, colour, and line, Pockley creates serene and silent views where time is brought to a standstill, ultimately eliminating the hustle and bustle of the everyday city experience.