MY MUSE - KAYE MCGARVA

My Muse: Bridget Riley

Few people would see a connection between my Crease Paintings and Op Art, but that's the beauty of the muse... it's about inspiration not imitation. 

As a kid growing up in the 60’s, Op Art was all the rage. Black and white swirling lines were seen everywhere from fabrics and wallpaper to TV and in films. Op Art became a kind of shorthand to signal the future had arrived. I don’t remember being aware of any particular artist associated with it, just the feeling of excitement it gave me.

Many years later, as an adult art student, I came across the work of British artist, Bridget Riley, and realised she was one of the key players in creating the art I loved in my youth. Of particular interest was Riley’s work from 1963 to 1968 when she painted bold black and white paintings that seemed to move in front of your eyes. It surprised me to learn there was extensive thought and theory behind Riley's work, most notably, Phenomenology. Exploring this field led me to where I am today; creating artworks about the act of looking that viewers can experience physically. 

In 2015, my first year out of art school, I was invited to exhibit at A&E Gallery in Napier, I decided to make a large installation work, Disequilibrium, as an homage to Riley’s 1963 work, Continuum. It was a bit ambitious, but I was delighted to hear someone emerge from Disequilibrium and ask why it made them feel nauseous. This was exactly the response I was hoping for, matching that of those viewing Riley's work. Success!

We had the idea of opening an art gallery in late 2016 and chose to call it Muse, because our intention was to inspire people to live with art. When I explained to the designer who my "muse" was, she came up with the perfect logo using a type face based on the work of Bridget Riley.

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