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L. ByrneRed Fireball Oil on Canvas 48” x 60”Purple Monster Oil on Canvas 61.5” x 73.5”Byrne has a distinctive passion for color. Whether sheL discovers a notable example in a natural setting, a beautifulpiece of textile, or a busy city street, Byrne captures heremotional response through vibrant large-scale oil paintings.Her painterly, tactile approach towards each piece creates ashimmering effect much like the surface of a body of waterbursting forth with every hue of the rainbow.Color is largely the vehicle for her message. We see dramaticstruggles between competing masses of color and feel thetension of bodies colliding. In some works, we find images ofour subconscious looking back at us. Other works convey aunique naturalism, so that one might almost feel cool grass ina pasture wafting beneath one’s fingers or the scorching heatof red hot flames.Byrne’s body of work is connected by an impressive modulationof tone; vibrant layers pop and tingle from below, bursting forthwith life. The variegation of color is loud but not gaudy, energeticwithout being overpowering. Oil paint is applied generously tothe canvas with paintbrush or palette knife, often in motionsradiating out from a particular point. Our eye is drawn aroundthe composition from one corner to the next.Thematically, Byrne connects with both natural phenomenasuch as plant-life, the elements, and inspiring vistas, and withthrilling psychodramas, delving into a wide range of humanemotion. Early on in her artistic life Byrne was a student of L. Byrne in her Studiofashion, airbrush art, and photography, painting natural scenesin watercolor during her leisure hours. When challenging times presented themselves, however, she created a deeply personalcreative language, evolving the characteristic abstract expressionist pieces for which she is presently known. “I turned to abstractart since I could no longer see things so simply,” she explains “The brilliant color in my art expresses a celebration of life.”Some of her works reach over six feet and confront the viewer with powerful sensations. We are not presented with a story, butasked to deliberate quietly and let the narrative come from within.Born in Toronto, L. Byrne now divides her time between Boston and Miami.www.byrneartportfolio.comwww.Agora-Gallery.com/ArtistPage/L._Byrne.aspx11 ARTisSpectrum