Paintings by Kate Buckelew
(posted 8-5-08)

Our latest art exhibit features paintings by Piedmont resident Kate Buckelew. Kate has been painting for 15 years, and is a graduate of the California College of the Arts. She is sharing paintings from two of her series, "Space Debris" (displayed in the cardio area and weight room), and "Incongruous Pairings" (displayed in the movement room). Here is a colorful example from the "Space Debris" series:

And here are Kate's own words about her work:

"My painting series 'Space Debris' is absorbed with the exploration of color relationships using elemental shapes.  I have chosen circles and ovals for their connotation of being feminine yet substantial, possibly even totemic, against a field of stripes which try to contain them.  I also want to emphasize the juxtaposition of the flat, graphic rendering of shapes, with the modeled contours of a shape that appears to have volume, by abutting them next to each other.  I want some shapes to appear to be contained while others are flowing out beyond the picture plane.  I want some colors to shimmer next to each other in the style of 'op art', while others form a more subtle harmony.  As an end result, I am aiming for a bold, simple statement.

"In my 'Incongruous Pairings' series, I create a flattened picture plane by putting down a patterned grid.  The objects I then paint on top seem out of context because they are floating atop the grid.  Some of the objects are painted directly on to the canvas, others are collage cut out of paper, fabric, or old rejected paintings of mine.  The imagery is widely interpretable, but has some symbolic meaning for everyone.  When I place these disparate objects around and on top of each other, I am leaving it up to the viewer to respond to the juxtaposition in his or her own way.  My aim is not to be 'cute' or 'whimsical', but the paintings are light hearted."

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