The Space Between — BRETT DE VOS

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The Space Between is a collection of mixed-media artworks that explore the threshold between thought and physical reality. It is a meditation on the way our thoughts shape the world around us—and how, in turn, the physical world imprints itself upon our inner landscapes.

Each piece features a natural object—a rock or plant—suspended in front of a painted canvas, creating a charged space between them. This space is the heart of the work. The canvas represents thought: an ethereal plane of infinite possibility and imagination. The natural object embodies the tangible world—both organic and constructed. Their relationship is one of mutual transformation. Some pieces begin with the object, others with the canvas, but as the work unfolds, each evolves in response to the other. Clay is sculpted onto the rocks, reshaping them to align with the composition, while the painted canvas shifts in conversation with the object. The two elements—mental and material—merge into a singular, self-informed piece.

The illusion of floating is achieved through nearly invisible metal rods, a subtle yet intentional element that speaks to the unseen structures bridging the physical and metaphysical. The color palette, inspired by sunset skies, reflects a state of transition—the fleeting space between day and night, where light, form, and atmosphere are in constant flux.

Created from natural elements gathered along the Scottish coastlines and woodlands I walk daily, this series is a direct manifestation of my connection to the land. These works are not just about observation, but about interaction—about the delicate, ever-shifting dialogue between thought and matter, imagination and reality.

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