On my recent trip to Grand Rapids, MI I was able to wander through the Art Museum on more than one occasion and quite unexpectedly fell in love with a painting. It was in this gallery full of mostly very large scale and abstract works.
I love these large scale works. I love abstract art.
But this….
…stopped me in my tracks.
Every once in a while when I head into an art museum I’ll ask a security guard or someone at the desk what their favorite work in the museum is, and why. It makes something of a fun little game and gives me something to hunt for. The delightful receptionist said she liked a piece with butterflies. Who knows, I might not have given it a second look but I recognized it as the piece she liked. Then I was drawn in and completely hooked.
Sojourne_Andrea_Kowch
It might help you to know that Andrew Wyeth is one of my current favorite artists. This spring I stumbled into a newly opened exhibit called Andrew Wyeth: Looking Out, Looking In at the National Gallery of Art in D.C. that also stopped me in my tracks. And made my heart beat faster. And took my breath away. That collection of work spoke to my soul… so quiet and powerful.
Andrea’s work does the same but with an added layer of…. something. Her work is just a little twisted, darker, quirky. Or at least it speaks to me that way. Are the girls the same person or sisters? Are they wistful, sad, deep in thought? Why, when every other of the painting is meticulously filled in is the hair suggested as what seems to me a cloud of flame and wind and air? It’s just a little surreal. I find the turkey absolutely and delightfully humorous. The butterflies are sweet in a non-sentimental way that I am very attracted to.
The composition of the painting and the technique is beautifully executed. The lines and shapes lead your eye through the work with precision and grace and the palette of warm, muted colors is inviting and interesting enough to pull the viewer in.
Everyone comes to art with their own unique lens of experience so I don’t ever expect any two people to have the same experience. That is part of the beauty of the visual language. It is universal yet speaks in many, many different tongues.
Here is the signage from the museum, just for fun.
Check out Andrea Kowch’s website to see much more of her delightful work.
2 Comments
Bev Haring
September 7, 2014 at 10:51 amthanks so much for sharing this Lyric — after reading your post I spent almost an hour “sucked down the rabbit hole”, fascinated by her work, thinking about the symbolism in her pieces, stunned by the SIZE of her pieces knowing what time is required to create any piece of art that big
I have long been a fan of representational art even though a lot of folks think it is less “enlightened” to think that way, but if they are looking for a piece of work that will draw them in and make them think, they should look at Andrea’s work!
I don’t know if you have read this, but I found a link to a conversation with her where she talks about her work — including the hair (which really caught my attention). the link is: http://www.oribe.com/index.php/explore/post/4083/andrea-kowch
I always read your posts, but rarely comment — shame on me! keep ’em coming!!
Barbara Lawson
September 7, 2014 at 10:14 amYes Lyric, this work is very stunning and mesmerizing. I love it.
Barbie