Vessels
The vessel, as it appears in this series, conjures many associations. In earthy, neutral tones, it floats against a backdrop of rich reds, purples, or blues, like the pattern on a moth’s wing. It is sweeping, layered, lunar. It is primal and raw, yet elegant and composed.
The vessel exudes a certain quiet power – it’s a contemplative form symbolic of containment, of wholeness and integrity.
The first Vessel painting actually emerged from a Veil painting. Auger took this painting back into studio, placed the canvas on a pivot that he can move in any direction, and began pouring loose particles down the canvas to see what would happen. At some point, when this experimentation wasn’t leading in any particular direction, Auger shook the canvas back and forth in a moment of exasperation. Suddenly, the particles began to settle, and the form of the vessel appeared.
“In a lot of ways, my work is just an affirmation of the infinite possibilities or inherent consciousness of even an inert little particle of iron to position itself within the scheme of a form that is completely self organized.”