Where to Draw the Line?

An exhibition by Colin Reid
Urban Coffee Lounge, Smithdown Road from June 3rd - Aug 5th

Reviewed by Kenn Taylor

‘Where To Draw The Line?’ is a collection of twenty-five pictures created by Colin Reid; all paintings he has created over negative prints. It brings together a group of largely everyday images in an interesting and different form.

Reid views his work as a collection of memories, represented as we see them in our mind - fragmented with the detail diminished: “The images I paint are incomplete, ‘unfinished’, suggestions of an insignificant event which has passed unnoticed or cannot fully be recalled. They represent lost memories, they are the blackout from the drunken night, a forgotten lover’s kiss, the ending of a blurred dream, the hurt from a distant broken heart.”

Reid’s intentions are clearly visible, from the image of a girl and a man captured in the park (‘Force Uncertain Smile’) to the snapshot of a naked female back (‘Undress me with Your Eye’) he manages to convey the idea of the memories, which though faded are still burned into our consciousness. His pictures also come across almost like day-glo documentary photography. Despite the simple lines of the images, the varying expressions on the people that he has captured are clearly visible through great use of colour and shade. A snapshot of life looked at through a different lens.

The artist has managed to create a thought-provoking reflection on life through one simple but successful idea.