Counsel Langley

This dot is the boss of that dot. This color is “on,” that one is “off.” Electricity flows through the black lines, the blue ones are paths to travel . . .

Using acrylic, ink and immodest amounts of glitter my work is the balance between two opposing approaches. One, loose painting techniques such as dripping, pours, splatters, which I use to create effective representations of natural elements—weather, water, clouds, smoke, flora, erosion, growth, galaxies . . . . The other approach, that of the tool user, with pen and ink and architects’ templates, drafting implements and compasses, I fastidiously draw controlled lines, concentric circles, grids and repetitive dots; these reflect structures and infrastructures that we build.

I am influenced by the look of outer space, computer chips, dramatic weather, electric circuits, decay, rock-n-roll glamour, plans and diagrams, b-rate sci-fi control panels, urban environments, fluid turbulence, engineering schematics and architectural drawings. In the end my dominate subject matter remains the human condition; why and where we build, how we feel, what we do, and what happens when these things intersect.

BIO

Native to the Northwest, Counsel Langley's award-winning work has been exhibited regionally and published in several select book projects and is included in Seattle City Light's Portable Works Collection. Langley received a BFA in Metals from Massachusetts College of Art, Boston in 1999. Metalsmithing’s emphasis on small-scale details and rich surfaces directly impacts her technique as a painter. She currently resides in the Pacific Northwest with her commercial fisherman husband and two children.