Katherine Kean

Forces of Nature as a State of Mind: ‘Atmospheric’ Exhibit by Katherine Kean at Santa Monica’s TAG Gallery

Los Angeles, California, August 2010 – Can natural forces be a metaphor for a state of mind? Contemporary artist Katherine Kean invites the question with her latest series of paintings called Atmospheric. From November 2nd through November 27th, 2010, this beautiful collection of work will be on display at TAG Gallery, 2525 Michigan Avenue, D-3 (Bergamot Station) in Santa Monica, California, with an evening reception on November 6th from 5- 8 PM. Katherine also will be available in person to answer questions about her work at an Artists’ Question and Answer panel on November 13th at 3 PM.

Inspired by travel and the experience of real places and events, the paintings in Atmospheric blend realism with an otherworldly viewpoint as they depict natural wind, storm, and volcanic forces. “These phenomena have a huge effect on the look of the landscape, whether it is the light effects caused by the reflective particles thrown into the air by a volcano, or the strange twilight caused by a storm suddenly and dramatically changing the angle of the sun’s rays and for a moment, relighting the landscape,” says the artist. “When we inhabit these landscapes, we also feel a huge effect on our emotional connection to nature, each other, and our own selves.”

Wind-driven clouds unfurl and stretch across the sky; trees struggle to maintain their grip through dramatic upheaval; and beauty finds a serene place in the midst of all the turbulence. Kean's layered application of paint and translucent glazes allows for unexpected variations in color and tone that capture various elements from nature's creative chaos. In the process, she gives viewers an opportunity to reconnect with an essential experience of nature and look inward to the dramas of our own minds.

About the Artist – Katherine Kean has exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States, including The LACMA Art Rental and Sales Gallery and the Brand Library Art Gallery in Los Angeles. Her work was selected for inclusion in the 2009 Schiffer publication 100 Artists of the West Coast II, and Bloomingdales recently selected one of her cloudscape paintings to be part of the collection for their new store in Santa Monica, CA. Atmospheric marks her third exhibition at TAG Gallery.