Discolorations
Solo Exhibition by Karen Gallagher
February 18th - April 2nd, 2010
First Friday Events 5-8pm, March 5th & April 2nd
Karen has been working to isolate in her artistic process those facets integral to the alchemical 'print' process in both her printed & hand drawn works. By focusing on the underlying elements: pressure, stains, and the use of information systems as a sieve these hand drawn encaustic works are created.
Within this body of work, bruises are her primary subject. Focusing on the pure mechanics of writing & line work (similar to handwriting), brocade & other flourished line patterns are layered on wax panels in raw pigment to build up images of bruises. This subject matter illuminates her deep interest in scars & bruises as a fading, or permanent, record of an action or event that is intense enough to cause an imprint or stain on the body. The physical and observable evidence of damage to the body is represented as sensual and seductive undulations of brocade patterning.
Karen Gallagher was born in Queens, New York and is currently maintaining her studio in Oakland, CA. She is an experimental printmaker focused on disassembling the traditional format of printmaking into a contemporary experience of self-documentation and re-composition. Gallagher has taught in Bay Area educational programs such as Kala, the San Francisco Art Institute (where she received her MFA with the department Merit Fellowship), and the Richmond Art Center. She exhibits locally and on the east coast in Solo and Group exhibitions, and maintains an Artist Residency at Kala in Berkeley. Her work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art through their acceptance of a group printmaking portfolio "The Printable Principles of Dialogue" and The State University of New York at Albany Art Museum.
Image: Black and Blue 7, drawn dry pigment on beeswax panel, 2009
Gallery Hours: Thursday and Friday 12-6pm, Saturday 12-4pm. Open until 8pm on First Friday, and by appointment.
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