PCS Blog

Internal Landscapes - NOW EXTENDED through April 6!

Posted by Kinsley Suer | 16 March 2012 | Comments (1)

PCS is excited to announce the opening of its newest gallery show! Presented in partnership with Pearl Gallery & Framing, Internal Landscapes: An Exhibition of the Work of Kelly Williams will be featured on the mezzanine level of the Armory from March 14 - April 6, 2012. In honor of PCS' current production of Red, many of the pieces displayed echo the abstract expressionist style of the artist Mark Rothko.

According to the artist, Kelly Williams, the exhibit seeks to express the fact that what happens on the outside and what exists on the inside often differ dramatically. These paradoxes are explored through color and texture, physically manifesting the reflection within the artwork. The layering process symbolizes the passage of time and the build-up of experiences, one covering another, blending and altering the final visible perception. The use of fire and heat in the creation process reveals deeply buried layers. Layers are also visible through the gouging, scraping and marking of the wax. The end result is a complicated, intense tactile work.

Many of the paintings featured in the gallery were created using an encaustic painting technique. Encaustic painting is an ancient medium dating back to early Greek and Egyptian art. The paint is made from melted beeswax mixed with pigment and resin. Each layer is fused with a heat implement such as a torch or iron before new layers can be added. Carving tools are used to incise lines and shapes and add sculptural elements, bringing the painted surface beyond its traditional two-dimensions.

She invites you to gently touch the art, feeling both the subtle smoothness and roughly gouged qualities.

This body of work is Williams’ attempt to map her own internal landscape with luminous color and texture, much as Mark Rothko sought to do in his work. Rothko had an invaluable ability to capture raw, emotional experience by using only washes of colour, both intense and subdued, along with implied texture within the paint. Her quest is to symbolize the universal paradoxes of the human condition.

Kelly Williams has shown extensively both locally and nationally. She is a community-involved artist who gives her time and skills to serve recovery programs, arts education and collaborative art collectives. Williams developed a Regional Arts and Culture Council-funded project entitled Recovery Panes, working with those affected by addiction. Her work is included in the collections of several local businesses, and has been featured in many local and national publications.

Following the show at PCS, Internal Lanscapes will be extended from May 3 through June 5 at Pearl Gallery & Framing, located at 1017 NW Davis Street. The opening of this second exhibition will be celebrated with a First Thursday Artist Reception on May 3 from 6 -9 p.m.

For more information about Kelly, visit www.kellywilliamsart.com.

Comments (1)

Kelly, this body of work is absolutely amazing! Your composition and color palette is very strong and passionate!
It does seam to illustrate a long and deep personal journey that is very inspiring to see and feel…
Congratulations!