Leya Evelyn’s large, multi-paneled paintings are laid out with more than ample room on the walls of Saint Mary’s University Art Gallery. Abstraction always seems to need the space. Layered almost encaustic thick, the works smell of their oil paint, filling the otherwise vacant gallery. The titles – It’s Not What You Think, And Then Some, etc. – seem to have more to do with the artist's state of mind than they do with the actual compositions. A multitude of choices based on intuition no doubt pour from each new frame of mind, shaping the approach and outcome of each piece. Repetitive marks and signature flourishes join each new work to the next. 
Leya Evelyn, It’s Not What You Think No. 1, 2016
Colour too ties this collection together, the bulk of the larger compositions are painted on plains of sandy beige, while a few are an anchoring jet black. Off in the side gallery a selection bright smaller pieces move through a gradient of color. From the staple beige they fade through blues, peaches, and sunny yellow. On the whole Evelyn’s practice seems to consist of a constant exercise of repetition.
All the works are recent. They have been made in the few months that have passed in 2016 so far. They are works of tremendous vigor. Gestures layer on gestures and marks that dig into the paint and collage laid before. The artist’s career stretches back into her twenties, implying that these gestural marks have become her language. Were these marks decipherable they might more plainly speak to the narrative titles of the works. As it stands the message appears arbitrary. This is a statement of practice for the sake of practice. Creation for the sake of creation.
Saint Mary's University Art Gallery: http://www.smu.ca/campus-life/art-gallery.html
Leya Evelyn: It's Not What You Think continues until May 29.
Anna Taylor is an artist, crafter, and organizer sitting on the board of the Halifax Crafters Society. She is Akimblog’s Halifax correspondent and can be followed on Twitter @TaylorMadeGoods.
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Leya Evelyn at Saint Mary's University Art Gallery
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