Abstract Weave: Interplay in Motion
Abstract Art by Jana Kappeler
and Debra Kay Guess
on exhibition in the John G Irvin Galleries
at Central Bank
15th July - 14th September 2022
Jana Kappeler
For me, painting is first and foremost an exploration of color. Never really knowing for sure how the paint will flow or stick to the canvas creates a sense of adventure and excitement. The exploration of shapes and gestures through dramatic use of color, dry brushing, scraping, drawing lines with Chinese calligraphy brushes, and the use of textural mediums as sculptural substrates are like a metaphorical pilgrimage. I keep moving forward, knowing where I intend to go, with some sense of the experiences that I will have along the way, but many times, finding unanticipated consequences from each step of the journey. I relish that feeling of anticipation and am driven to continue forward, to see my ideas realized and to develop fully the work to its completion. Finding the right amounts of color and figuring out how they can all come together in a visually coherent and compelling way is the challenge.
I hope to evoke a soft and inviting mood in and with my abstract paintings. As such, I tend to eschew hard edges, preferring a gentle flow from one color to the next. Light, lines and ribbons of color are intended to draw the viewer closer—into a place where one can see what is hidden in the layers beneath. Hopefully, such a space encourages the observer’s own emotions, experiences and reflections. In so doing, I seek to embolden the viewer’s formulation of questions—as well as answers to—the meaning of the work.
For me, painting is first and foremost an exploration of color. Never really knowing for sure how the paint will flow or stick to the canvas creates a sense of adventure and excitement. The exploration of shapes and gestures through dramatic use of color, dry brushing, scraping, drawing lines with Chinese calligraphy brushes, and the use of textural mediums as sculptural substrates are like a metaphorical pilgrimage. I keep moving forward, knowing where I intend to go, with some sense of the experiences that I will have along the way, but many times, finding unanticipated consequences from each step of the journey. I relish that feeling of anticipation and am driven to continue forward, to see my ideas realized and to develop fully the work to its completion. Finding the right amounts of color and figuring out how they can all come together in a visually coherent and compelling way is the challenge.
I hope to evoke a soft and inviting mood in and with my abstract paintings. As such, I tend to eschew hard edges, preferring a gentle flow from one color to the next. Light, lines and ribbons of color are intended to draw the viewer closer—into a place where one can see what is hidden in the layers beneath. Hopefully, such a space encourages the observer’s own emotions, experiences and reflections. In so doing, I seek to embolden the viewer’s formulation of questions—as well as answers to—the meaning of the work.
Debra Kay Guess
Random. Intuitive. Spontaneous. Unaffected. Imperfect. These are the qualities of natural beauty that fascinate me most. It’s why I paint the way I do. Much of the rest of my life is organized, planned, scheduled, checklisted. Voluntarily, and in the interest of sanity maintained from order. It’s my inner engineer, looking after the presence of structure and clarity; the framework that gives my other inner voice -- the curious
child – the freedom to play, to explore what ifs, so whats, why nots. It is the only place I find myself lost in the moment while staying in the present. Where I become completely absorbed, creating something unduplicatable, yet lasting.
Every painting is its own discovery. I rarely begin a piece with an end result in mind or follow a specific reference or inspiration from start to finish. Instead, it comes to me along the way, in some cases only near the end or even afterward. I’m comfortable trusting that experiences and memories that shape my awareness and inform my subconscious will in some way represent themselves on the canvas. How can they not? The inspiration that bubbles up may be a far-off place I’ve travelled to, a birds-eye view from 20,000 feet up, or passing sights through a car window. It might be the colors, random arrangements, and forces of nature, or the rhythms of life. Sometimes it’s an expression of hope, joy, loss, betrayal, or some other inner searching.
The beauty of abstraction is that it allows me the spontaneity I crave. I can let go of pretense and strict controls, trusting that the distillation of the inspirations, preferences, gestures, and sensibilities unique to me will guide my painting process. A process where layers of pigment hide and peek, shapes emerge and get knocked back, reflexive markings smear, drips drip, script rambles, outlines appear, and colors find each other or I let them sit quietly alone. Sometimes familiar references appear; most times not.
And when the painting is finished, I invite the viewer to respond rather than rationalize. There’s no requirement to fully understand my inspiration – to uncover specific reference points. More than anything, I would encourage you to thoughtfully consider the visual interest of not only the whole piece, but also the up-close details and excerpts that evidence unplanned, intuitive moments in time. In doing so, I want you to feel – perhaps even be surprised by – a greater awareness of random acts of beauty, of the sublimely subliminal, the perfectly imperfect.
Random. Intuitive. Spontaneous. Unaffected. Imperfect. These are the qualities of natural beauty that fascinate me most. It’s why I paint the way I do. Much of the rest of my life is organized, planned, scheduled, checklisted. Voluntarily, and in the interest of sanity maintained from order. It’s my inner engineer, looking after the presence of structure and clarity; the framework that gives my other inner voice -- the curious
child – the freedom to play, to explore what ifs, so whats, why nots. It is the only place I find myself lost in the moment while staying in the present. Where I become completely absorbed, creating something unduplicatable, yet lasting.
Every painting is its own discovery. I rarely begin a piece with an end result in mind or follow a specific reference or inspiration from start to finish. Instead, it comes to me along the way, in some cases only near the end or even afterward. I’m comfortable trusting that experiences and memories that shape my awareness and inform my subconscious will in some way represent themselves on the canvas. How can they not? The inspiration that bubbles up may be a far-off place I’ve travelled to, a birds-eye view from 20,000 feet up, or passing sights through a car window. It might be the colors, random arrangements, and forces of nature, or the rhythms of life. Sometimes it’s an expression of hope, joy, loss, betrayal, or some other inner searching.
The beauty of abstraction is that it allows me the spontaneity I crave. I can let go of pretense and strict controls, trusting that the distillation of the inspirations, preferences, gestures, and sensibilities unique to me will guide my painting process. A process where layers of pigment hide and peek, shapes emerge and get knocked back, reflexive markings smear, drips drip, script rambles, outlines appear, and colors find each other or I let them sit quietly alone. Sometimes familiar references appear; most times not.
And when the painting is finished, I invite the viewer to respond rather than rationalize. There’s no requirement to fully understand my inspiration – to uncover specific reference points. More than anything, I would encourage you to thoughtfully consider the visual interest of not only the whole piece, but also the up-close details and excerpts that evidence unplanned, intuitive moments in time. In doing so, I want you to feel – perhaps even be surprised by – a greater awareness of random acts of beauty, of the sublimely subliminal, the perfectly imperfect.
VIEW/PURCHASE THE WORKS here
|
Debra Kay Guess
A Growing Impulse |
Debra Kay Guess
Jumping Off |
Jana Kappeler
Come with a Light |
Jana Kappeler
Frozen Fire |
