Hailed by Jeffery Camp RA as 'the always aware, ever young, ever colourful, ever colour loving, surefire abstract artist', John Mclean’s latest sculptures showcased at Bourne Fine Art certainly testify to this description. Trudging along the grey, dark, rainy streets of Edinburgh, one is immediately met by the vibrant, abstract sculptures of Mclean, which through their plethora of colour and simplicity of form engender a series of weightless geometric planes of colour, suspended in space.
The title of the exhibition ‘Sculptures from Painting’ is an apt description for Mclean’s sculptures, which are predominantly constructed from manipulated etch-primed aluminium. Starting as sheet metal Mclean effortlessly applies the flat colourful forms that float within his canvases. The sheet is then bent along straight lines to create a complex geometric shape, which invites further investigation to perceive the harmonious palette applied by the artist. Viewed from afar these three-dimensional forms appear two-dimensional and the consistency between his paintings, which accompany the sculptures, becomes apparent.
Rather than objects of solid mass, the manipulated aluminium makes use of void and the result is a sculpture that contrary to gaining solidity, seems to float within the gallery space. An exercise in colour and form, Mclean’s sculptures successfully develop his artistic expression that while remaining consistent with his paintings offer an elegant reorganisation of form, which encourages interaction.
The exhibition allows the viewer the chance to explore a side to Mclean that is often sidelined by his paintings for which he is most famous. Through his sculptures Mclean effectively develops his aesthetic and whilst derivative of his painting, their weightless elegance and burst of colour succeed in providing a suitable platform to explore the further possibilities of colour and form within space.
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