The Abbotsford Arts Council hosts an opening reception on Saturday, March 18 for its new exhibition, Kindred Spirits and Fantasy.
The reception takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kariton Art Gallery, 2387 Ware St. The exhibition runs until April 18.
Kindred Spirits features the work of Kathleen Menges and Patricia Peters. Showing with them is Rachel Rozanski’s Fantasy.
The three artists will be in attendance at the opening reception.
Menges and Peters have both worked in the medium of encaustic (hot wax), which requires heat as a “solvent” to move the paint around and fuse the layers together. It can have a spectacular transparent polish to the product.
Brushes are replaced with palette knives and silicon blades, and often requires working in the negative to unearth or excavate layers of color or textures below.
Both artists made a shift into the medium of oil paint with cold wax, as this product requires no heat, has a longer “open time” and gives a more modern matte finish, which works well with abstract painting.
Rozanski’s works examine the point where objects and organisms become unrecognizable, no longer conforming to the categories of human, natural or unnatural.
Her focus is on the unidentifiable hybrid organisms she finds, and the reactions of viewers attempting to categorize them. Her drawings represent small components of artifacts, items born of, or morphed by, human civilization.
On April 8 at 1:30 p.m., Menges and Peters present a demo/talk about their artwork and the unique medium of cold wax and oil and what draws them to use this ancient medium.
The demo will cover the use of unusual range of tools, building multiple layers of textures and mark making.
Visit abbotsfordartscouncil.com for more information.