George Glenn’s portrayals of vessels, mirrors, and windows has resulted in a rich and varied series of works. Through painting and drawing, these archetypes came to provide George with expanded ways of seeing, while at the same time growing an awareness that there is largely more in our worlds that is unseen. This display considers the idea of space that extends beyond the surface of the artwork. Building from his depictions of motifs with reflective or transparent surfaces, the archetype of visual perception expands to what might be the indiscernible or invisible. 

From the mid-1980s onwards, George’s work gradually transitioned from imagery with illusionistic depth, to a reduced sense of perspective. In the early 1990s, pictures with flattened forms placed within realistic settings affected our perceived sense of balance. Spaces that we might expect to recede into the distance seemed to come forward. These images create a feeling of instability, almost forcing us to be more actively engaged with the work. In turn, the material object - a painting or drawing - opens up to a greater psychological viewing experience.

During a workshop in summer 2024 at the Arts Centre, George remarked that “line defines while colour expands.” Throughout the works in this display, George has used colour as a tool to create form, expand space, and imply movement and direction. In All About Space, shades of green dominate. A fairly monochromatic foreground invites us to the single lawnchair and charming picnic table. The darker forms could be read as stand ins for trees and shrubs. But our eyes ascend from the detailed objects through an opening of green that subtly expands as it reaches the top of the picture plane, reaching beyond the canvas itself.