Tuesday 16 July 2013

CADE’S TURNING LIGHT - Guest Post by Emily McIntyre

Virga, 2013, Cade Turner
It was once written about J.M.W. Turner's work that it was proof of an original mind. Although ensuing modest claims that Cade Turner is his modern contemporary, both Turners share an innate desire to capture the essence of light and its movement.

Both rimming on the cusp of their fellow artists, the Turners push the boundaries of their traditional mediums. However, it's not all rock and roll - both artists have spent years learning the rules of their art. First learning to use their mediums by the book and aware of the artistic boundaries, they then used this knowledge to go where their mediums have never gone before. Should it be by complete coincidence the Turners' are exhibiting simultaneously is another story, but as Cade recalled his recent trip to Turner from the Tate: The Making of a Master, at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, I was intrigued to observe his creative process first hand and witness his method.


Following Cade to a nearby abandoned train pedestrian underpass, I watched him become entranced by the light and environment on the scene. Like a moth to flame he fluttered and became consumed by the transitions and variations of the colour spectrum. Asking him to talk through his thoughts, I felt like I was intruding into a private realm - words seem to fail to express the emotion and vulnerability of the site, his reactions and what he was feeling. Working with what he had on hand - his iPhone!- Cade was engulfed by the present moment.


Earlier in the day, Cade had shown me his new prints for his upcoming exhibition: Symphony of Light. Almost speechless, in his new work he transforms and captures living moments that are caught in a living stasis, raw with a unique perspective. His work is photography focused on a fresh angle- and they are untouched. Cade has boldly veered away from using any touch ups- all his works are raw and captured as is- which creates exquisite living realms that evoke a full spectrum of emotion.


It is clear that Cade has grown in his art. His earlier works such as Day at the Beach (2010) and Lolly Lights (2010) highlight his transition in influence from Impressionism to Romanticism. Shifting from capturing light and depicting its changing qualities, Cade is now investigating and telling light's story. His heightened focus on the multi-faceted nature of light and its reflection, like J.M.W. Turner, has brought Cade to a new level in capturing a breathing moment. In his upcoming exhibition Symphony of Light, works such as Virga (2013) and Convergence (2013) clearly show his hand has shifted from altered, fractured impressions and texture to capturing microcosmic electric pyramids of light and colour. 


Convergence (2013) evokes a violent fantastical realm of a dreamy, constant suspension. There is a haunting richness and likeness to J.M.W. Turner's Chain Bridge over the River Tees (c. 1825-36) where the force of a river is expressed through using light and its nuances. Rather than depicting the water's flow, J.M.W. Turner has expressed its force and its apparent catastrophic power by studying the light, its reflections and its subtle movements.


J.M.W. Turner often accompanied his work with poetry and Cade's alternate muse lives in the realm of music composition. Cade's creativity seems to share a symbiotic relationship between his music and art- which is arguably inseparable in his eyes and is admittedly contagious.


Although centuries apart, the Turners share an incredible propensity to discover and capture the explosive sensitivity and meaning in light that the everyday eyes often miss. Cade's attention to even the slightest difference in gradient creates a never-ending rich palette of colour. Symphony of Light, exhibiting from July 23rd until August 3rd at Depot II Gallery, marks the next chapter in Cade's photography: much more than proof of his original and creative mind.  


For more information, visit www.cadeturner.com

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