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November Issue 2006
Mary Martin Gallery in Charleston, SC, Offers Works by Kathleen Kinkopf
The
Mary Martin Gallery, located on Broad Street in Charleston, SC's,
French Quarter District, is thrilled to present the exhibit, Emergence
into Light, a new body of work by nationally recognized artist,
Kathleen Kinkopf. Kinkopf's work has been featured in numerous
solo and group exhibitions across the country, but is featured
for the very first time in this part of the Southeastern US. This
exhibition will be on display from Nov. 3 - 30, 2006.
No single word can describe the wondrous combination of Kinkopf's mystical genre and reverent academic style. In fact, its descriptive ambiguity is what actually creates the magic and allurement that has become the signature of her paintings over the years. The visual elements and the interpretation of light in her paintings are like notes in a symphony, floating in the air, silently harmonizing with subconscious thoughts, passionate conversations and influences within her that she sometimes cannot explain. As in musical symphonies, these visual harmonies wrap around us delighting our eyes, challenging our intelligence and capturing our heart and spirit.
This new collection, Emergence into Light, is subliminally inspired by life's personal challenges for the artist, including the recent loss of her sister and her own battle with breast cancer. But this show speaks more of healing, optimism, and the personal "emergence into light" that many of us elevate to with amazing resilience after a difficult period of time.
"One must experience the dark to feel and appreciate the warmth of the light," states Kinkopf. She feels her life experiences have not weakened her but have amazingly empowered her to accept, rather than deny or ignore, the dark moments of life. Kinkopf embraces the bright moments with exuberance and gratitude, and has grown because of her challenging journey, living the mantra "reflect back, but always live forward".
Kinkopf creates visual modern mythologies that could only be found in dreams, however her homage to the female figure and reverence for the approach of the Renaissance Masters, combined with dreamy landscapes and stoic creatures, somehow convinces us that any one of these scenarios could be a possibility in our own world.
In the showpiece, Emergence Into Light,
for which the show was titled, the work transcends a literal interpretation
and presents itself as a visual vignette of an emotion in which
one may not find a single word to describe it. This piece creates
its own
rhythmic vocabulary of symbolic adjectives and visual banter,
speaking of emotional growth and the personal freedom that comes
from within us. Kinkopf creates her work not only for the visual
journey but also hopes the work will allow one to look deep within
themselves and perhaps reflect on their own life experiences and
awaken the narrative that lies deep within.
Kinkopf graduated from Miami University (Oxford, OH) with a BFA in 1978. She was named "Best of the West" by Southwest Art Magazine in 2003, has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and is collected privately and corporately throughout the US. She currently resides in New Mexico.
For further information check our SC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/723-0303 or at (www.marymartinart.com).
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