The Maude Kerns Art Center is proud to present two engaging exhibits in the month of August, “Inheritance: Women’s Stories,” with work by Kara Greenwell, Eden Quispe, and Kate Tova, and “Lands of Memory,” featuring Nancy Larson and Eugene artist Meg Littler. The shows open with a free public reception on Friday, August 8, from 5 – 7 pm. Both exhibits are on view through Friday, August 29.
Artist Meg Littler
In “Inheritance: Women’s Stories,” three women artists explore different themes related to traditional views of femininity, family ties, cultural heritage, and the demands of contemporary society, telling their own stories through their work.
San Diego, CA artist Kara Greenwell, a mixed media painter who combines traditional painting materials with upcycled ephemera, challenges conventional notions of femininity in her art practice. She says that she “tells the tales women are taught to hide.” In her striking, large-scale pieces, Greenwell juxtaposes personal narrative with provocative feminist themes, employing an abstract gestural vocabulary that at times can be intentionally aggressive and confrontational.
Newton, KS artist Eden Quispe, a textile artist, mother, wife, and art teacher, explores the “tension of traditional and contemporary values in modern-day culture through the experience of motherhood.” Her “patchwork paintings” are created using a variety of quilting techniques, as well as embroidery, printing, and collage. Quispe’s work often includes a female figure as the central image. She expresses the feelings of women overwhelmed by responsibilities and the demands of multi-tasking.
Monterrey, CA artist Kate Tova, who is of Russian Ukrainian heritage, says that in her paintings and mixed media works she draws strength and inspiration from Ukrainian culture and its reverence for the natural world. She explores her heritage through the imagery of ribbons, which in East Slavic festivals are symbols of femininity and the ties to ancestry and nature. Tova depicts rituals associated with the Ivan Kupala festival, like jumping over fire, the weaving of wreathes, and floating garlands on the water.
“Lands of Memory,” which is on view in the Salon Gallery, features two artists who approach landscape through the lens of memory, relying on the subconscious and the exploration of their painting materials to arrive at striking images.
Portland, OR artist Nancy Larson, a watercolor and acrylic painter, displays what she calls “interior landscapes.” These evocative pieces emerge from an intuitive practice which relies upon memory rather than direct observation. For Larson it is the materials that lead the exploration process, while a subconscious memory guides the lines and forms to become a landscape. She says: “The realization that it’s a place once experienced usually comes only after the painting is finished.”
Eugene, OR multi-disciplinary artist Meg Littler displays oil on canvas paintings that blend representation and abstraction. Her landscapes, which sometimes contain figures and ethereal bodies, are both depictions of physical environments and metaphysical realms. Littler’s loosely painted and richly colored works reflect her perception of reality. She says of her paintings: “I weave between formalism and free association, leaving room for personal interpretation.”
An Artists Talk takes place on Saturday, August 9, from 1 – 2 pm. Moderated by Exhibits Director Liberty Rossel, the talk will include artists from both exhibits. It is free and open to the public.