Rhys Farrell's Trippy Op Art

×

Expand

Rhys Farrell, “Psychafeelia,” 2016

aerosol and gesso on wood panel, 24” x 36”

Op art, which had its big moment in the 1960s, is enjoying new popularity of late. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s the retro trend in fashion and popular culture, or maybe, as Calgary artist Rhys Farrell suggests, it’s something about the systems mentality of the digital world in which our brains now swim. Whatever the case, Farrell is enjoying a quick launch to his art career with his trippy paintings. His show, Bemusement, on view at the Herringer Kiss Gallery in Calgary until Jan. 28, demonstrates an affinity for colour as well as a deft touch with precise geometric forms. “Some people are more concerned about the colour combinations and some people are making certain patterns or systems that are really hard on the eyes to read,” Farrell says. He thinks the main thing that makes an Op art piece stand out is its effect on viewers. “There’s some kind of visual or sensory problem that needs to be solved,” he says. Farrell’s paintings, I tell him, make me feel a little dizzy, even nauseous. He says that’s true of a lot of Op – short for optical. “Some people like those effects, and they like that they can look at an image and it can make their mood completely change or make their eyes hurt. And I know some people who don’t enjoy it all.” Farrell, who graduated last year with a Bachelor’s degree from the Alberta College of Art and Design, says spending hour upon hour painting lines or dots might irritate some artists, but he finds it clears his mind. “I know people who are more patient than I am,” he says. “But with my process, and the tedious repetition that takes place a lot of the time, I think I find that process almost soothing.”

Rhys Farrell, “Candy Infused,” 2016

Rhys Farrell, “Icy Splinters,” 2016

Rhys Farrell, “You Lookin,” 2016

Rhys Farrell, “The Act of Separation,” 2016