Todd Lambeth: Night Moves

 DELUGE CONTEMPORARY ART, Victoria BC - To Mar 2 
 by Christine Clark
Night Moves comprises acrylic paintings, the largest at 70 by 52½ inches, which when viewed together present amorphous jungles of shape and colour. Peering past the perfectly flat surface of the canvas, it’s possible to see battle scenes and palm fronds, slippery shadowsand curious faces – scenes of heated and sensual human struggle. Todd Lambeth writes that the “paintings are initially designed as collages on a laptop and are translated in the studio directly from the glowing screen of a tablet.” 
Lambeth says he is “influenced by Cubism,hard-edged Modernist painting, comic books and candy wrappers.” The titles of his paintings add depth to this special blend of art history and childhood. For instance, TimeMachine references H.G. Wells’ groundbreaking sci-fi novella. Phantasmagoria alludes to a type of horror theatre achieved through magic lanterns, and Fire (Johnny Storm) to the name of a Marvel Comics character. Lambeth writes that “more often than not the names of paintings hit me very quickly upon completing the initial designs. Strangely, when the title of a piece comes to my mind it is a good bet thatthe piece is a go; if no name hits me, it’s probably not the right design.”
Lambeth holds an MFA from the University of Victoria and has received both Canada Council and BC Arts Council grants. He most memorably exhibited Oh! You Pretty Things, exquisite interior paintings of cats, at Deluge Contemporary in 2013. He states that his work is an expression of his “desire to create optimistic paintings that distract the viewer from the difficult times in which we live.” 
Artist talk Feb 16, 3pm
deluge.ws