Most of the time, I walk through an art gallery, stop and look, and think, “oh, that’s nice” and move on to the next piece. Or, maybe I do not know what to think.
If you’re like me, you look at a piece of art on a wall and ask, ‘what is this about?’ Or, you question yourself, ‘why don’t I get this?’
Or, maybe you’re at an art gallery opening, and you’re wondering, ‘is this cheese gouda?’
Fortunately, Susan Eley Fine Art, at 433 Warren, had an artist talk reception (mask-wearing and socially-distant in the large space) featuring local Hudson artist Kathy Osborn to talk about the artist, her work and process, to give us a better understanding of the art, the artist, and the process of making art itself.
Like a guided meditation, the reception helped your mind understand and relate to the art and artist.
Kathy Osborn spent about twenty-five years in New York City as an illustrator for the New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, and many other publications before moving up to Hudson.
The paintings are often vintage scenes, mid-50/60s, modern vignettes of American culture.
For the artist talk, Kathy brought a vintage doll scene to the exhibit to describe her process.
First, she scours sites like ebay, looking for vintage dolls and doll house furniture. The doll scenes are staged under her strong goose-neck desk lamps. She takes about fifty to a hundred different photos from various angles.
The photographs are used as a guide when she paints. The harsh shadows of the desk lamps often add to the film noir look of the paintings.
A vintage smile-less “Pussy Galore” doll is used in this painting.
We tend to think that the images are in a person’s head, and that they just walk up to a canvas and start painting.
In this case, the process of creating the painting was deconstructed, into its laborious and linear format. This helped demystify the art process to us non-painters – and appreciate the efforts and painstaking work involved.
Wonderful art. I can study it and wonder, “What is the back story here?