Like
the Impressionists whose concern with light was the inspiration for their
paintings, Lakich explores the ranscendent and spiritual qualities of light
through a contemporary medium. She compares the ability of neon to portray
imagery that glows from itself to religious iconography of various cultures—from
Byzantine images of Jesus in gold leaf to the Buddha enveloped in brightly
painted fire.
Saving Grace II demonstrates
the rich complexity of color Lakich achieves through the use of back glow.
Phosphor tubes attached to the backside of the work spread an aura of colored
light around the figure. Suspended in a glow that echoes the colors on the
surface, Saving Grace II becomes the exhuberant
spiritual presence it invokes.
