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SHELTER FROM THE STORM
JANICE LIUSON - YOUNG
June 18, 2022 - July 9, 2022
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Shelter from the Storm
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country
but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge,
someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock
to when God and her were born
Come in, she said, I'll give ya
shelter from the storm
- Bob Dylan
Most of the paintings in this series were done during the Covid lockdowns of the past two years. A few were finished during the aftermath of the elections of 2022.
Stylistically, these paintings expand the boundaries of Janice Liuson-Young’s own abstract expressionist approaches. There are a number of technique changes from her previous offerings, including the use of new paints and materials. The artist’s colors and lines are bolder and more fluid, achieving a deceptively effortless balance of purpose and spontaneity. Still, the works continue to be marked by the dazzling artistry that has characterized many of Liuson-Young’s past works.
But thematically, the paintings reflect the uncertainty of the times, and of ongoing and unresolved danger.
All of them were done during a time of being in the midst of “storms”, as it were, where everything feels out of control, and fear and frustration dominates the horizon. Yet these paintings are also explorations of something even more persistent and powerful than
storms.
Asked to explain the inspiration for her new works, Liuson-Young recalls:
“I looked out my studio window one day during the lockdown as evening fell, wondering what was happening to our country and the world. And as I looked I suddenly became aware that I was gazing at a scene of melancholic beauty.
“Yes, there was much sadness and suffering there, but at the same time it was still beautiful. What’s more, it was something that the growing darkness could only enhance, but not destroy. “That realization gave me peace, and inspiration for the new works.”
Liuson-Young’s works are not just fascinating paintings that stake new artistic ground. More importantly, they are shelters of hope against the raging storm, built upon the artist’s bedrock of
faith.
- Atty Frederick Young
Janice Liuson-Young
Janice Liuson-Young is conversant in both figurative and abstract languages, working in oil, acrylic, and multi-media. Her choice of subjects ranges from slices of daily life to elements in nature, from people’s faces to people in action, from still lifes to dreamscapes. For her show, “Shelter from the Storm,” the artist showcases her commitment to the abstract ethos with her swirling, dynamic works characterized by fan-like, fluted shapes, dramatic textures and layers, and thoughtful compositions.
Stylistically, the paintings expand the boundaries of Liuson-Young’s own abstract expressionist approach. Employing new paints and materials, the artist experiments with bolder and more fluid lines and colors, achieving an effortless balance between purpose and spontaneity. The show’s theme delves into and reflects the uncertainty of the times, and of ongoing and unresolved danger. Accomplished in the midst of “storms,” these paintings explore something even more persistent and powerful than the devastations.
Aside from being a visual artist, Liuson-Young takes pride in being an arts educator. She was the class valedictorian when she finished her degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts, major in Visual Communications (cum laude) at the University of the Philippines, Diliman in 1986. Currently, she serves as the Associate Dean of FEATI School of Fine Arts. She has held countless solo and group exhibitions here and abroad. “Shelter from the Storm” is her first solo exhibition for Art Cube.
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