Georgia Carter Grisaille

Grisaille refers to French decorative wallpaper, popularized in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, on which panoramic scenes and motifs were hand painted or printed in tones of a single color—most notably gray—in order to produce three-dimensional effects. These decorative artworks require painstaking attention to detail, large amounts of time and dedication to create. For this exhibition, Georgia Carter digitally alters photos of grisaille wallpaper and re-draws the new pixilated versions by hand, on handmade paper.  Her drawings are exhibited with digital inkjet prints of the same size, and depict images ranging from reproductions of wallpaper panels to patterns found in landscape, textiles, and digital displays.  Carter employs both drawing and digital image making methods to reveal compelling contradictions between how images are made and seen today. The work reflects Carter’s interest in the artist’s hand, attention spans in the digital age, and the question of quality and value as being inherent to labor and skill.