Kathleen Kane-Murrell + minis 2023

Sparks Gallery is pleased to announce San Diego artist Kathleen Kane-Murrell’s solo exhibition, “Wayfinding in Suspended Times,” opening on May 7, 2023 in conjunction with Sparks Gallery’s annual small works show, “minis 2023.”

The small works exhibition will feature over 60 works that are 12×12 inches and under; each are $500 retail or less. This exhibition is a chance to collect a small work of art from both prominent and emerging artists from California. Below is a preview of several small works that were selected for the exhibition.

Kane-Murrell’s work is inspired by her observation of the interconnectivity between humans and nature, and her longing to reconnect after isolation during the pandemic. Her solo exhibition brings her perceptions and musings to life through her highly textured collage techniques. Many of her works present themselves like a miniature ecosystem; reverse-painted plexiglass panel is placed between the viewer and the textural backdrop of the work. Highly detailed renderings of butterflies, gingko leaves, and other organic elements painted on the transparent plexiglass appear to float over the materials affixed to the layer behind. Kane-Murrell’s specific style of mixed media collage both unites and contrasts familiar icons of nature with abstraction and human-designed composition.

She reflects “My work is abstractly narrative. I aim between spontaneous and controlled…patinas of layered mark-making reflect my perception of light, color, and sound. When a viewer reaches to touch my work to understand what is seen, I have achieved an elusive goal.”

Kane-Murrell’s work investigates the human experience as but one aspect of the natural world. With work inspired by wondrous natural phenomena that scientists are only beginning to understand, the artist explores the concept of our place in this interconnected web of life. The idea that everything is intertwined, even in ways we may not expect or be aware of, also brought Kane-Murrell comfort during the isolating time of the pandemic. Kane-Murrell holds reverence for the mycorrhizal network (in which trees communicate with each other through their underground root systems), the migration patterns of monarch butterflies, and starling “murmurations” – birds that fly together collectively in groups of seven.

This philosophy is visually explored in the repeating motifs within each work; the artist repeats butterflies, leaves, or cut paper shapes across the piece, drawing attention to their similarities and mass as a group. Subtle changes in these repetitions, such as unique colors or placement, differentiate individual elements from each other. Yet the abstract work is undoubtedly unified, communicating the connectedness of every unit to the entire composition as a whole.

Regular Gallery Hours: M,TH,F 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday 11a.m. - 7 p.m., Sun 11a.m. - 5 p.m.

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