In her second solo show at Bowery Gallery, Lynn Kotula continued on the theme of the still life on the tabletop. Charged by visual tensions, these lively paintings remind us that the “simple” still life, fully realized, is neither simple nor still.
Neither accidental nor found arrangements, her paintings are built from objects – pitchers and shells, squash, knives, cloth, cup and pie pan arranged to encourage a conversation between the color and shape of the objects themselves and the color and shape of the spaces they carve.
As straightforward as Kotulas’ paintings might appear at first glance, it is clear that she is interested not in description, but in establishing rhythms that allow the abstract elements to speak. To quote Mark Webber, “Depiction here is a matter of essences, not specifics. She arrives at appearance with carefully felt color choices which appoint planes and edges in proximity.”
In Kotula’s work there is a real materiality both in her paint and in the way she defines volumes. Sometimes we see thin swaths of transparent color and, other times impastoed, opaque layers.
Naomi Nemtzov responded to the show with this observation: “Kotula’s new work is permeated with a gentle, silvery light……”
To this viewer the word that comes to mind is “grit”. This can describe the physical quality of some of the painting surfaces, but more importantly it’s a word that captures Kotula’s passion and perseverance. In this exhibit one senses the artist’s dedication to her painting practice and joy in the discoveries that happened along the way.
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This show ran March 29 – April 23, 2016 at Bowery Gallery. A review of the show by highly regarded writer and teacher, John Goodrich can be found atview.com. Click on the link.
You can see more art work by Lynn Kotula at bowery gallery website. Click on the link and go to the artist tab, or go to: www.bowerygallery.org/kotula
Visit Lynn Kotula’s website: www.lynnkotula.com
To contact artist by e-mail: info@bowerygallery.org
530 West 25th street, 4th floor,
NY, NY
Gallery hours: Tues-Sat 11-6pm. For more information, call 646-230-6655.
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Diane Drescher ——–
