Discovering Shawna Moore . . .

Wandering around Canyon Road during my last trip to Santa Fe, I stopped in at Darnell Fine Art at 640 Canyon and discovered the intriguing work of Shawna Moore. If you haven’t seen her paintings, you have a treat in store! The more you gaze, the more their depth and intricacy reveals itself in her skillfully crafted encaustic work. About her present show “MOSAIC,” the artist says the work “deals with bringing together individual parts that when viewed in isolation have a less recognizable value, but when combined in the montage of a multilayered painting, the separate parts unite to make a whole.”

Moore has been including elements of cursive handwriting and random marks in her recent work, layering, obscuring, revealing them to create mysterious, almost spiritual elements in her paintings. At times they seem to emerge from some deep geography of the mind, a blending of nature and literature. She continues to draw from a deep well of daily experiences and discoveries both in her home state of Montana and in her international travels. These images and memories are as essential to the final product as the long hours she spends melting, coloring, and manipulating wax. As she puts it, “Mosaic describes the constant evolution I desire in my work and is based on the change and buildup of all the influences that have come before.”

Educated in fine art, architecture, and drawing, Shawna Moore’s paintings are at first glance large and bold, totally abstract. But if you take a moment to sit quietly in front of them and look deeply you will be drawn into their mystery, their swirling colors, text, and markings that blend together in textured layers to create something entirely fresh.

If you are in the area, stop by and take a look for yourself!

To view more images, go to the Darnell Fine Art website, or
visit the artist's website at http://www.shawnamoore.com
or her blog: http://www.shawnamoore.blogspot.com/

-- Rosemary Carstens
http://www.CarstensCommunications.com

(Top left, “Whisper,” 40 x 20; Right, “Token,” 40 x 40; Lower left, “Prayer Flag Yellow,” 20 x 20. All paintings are encaustic on panel)

The Power of Personal Statement: MATT SESOW

MATT SESOW is a full-time painter, living and working in Washington, DC. His powerful, expressionistic “outsider” art is the talk of the town. Six years ago, Sesow began his annual “31 Days in July” project and this year’s results are just out. Each day during the month, the artist begins a unique 30” x 40” painting in response to an article or series of articles on the front page of the Washington Post print edition. All 31 paintings are completed by midnight July 31st. Most of these will be available for sale to collectors and galleries. The images here are from this year’s marathon month and you can see all 31 paintings at http://www.sesow.com/31days.htm

The image to the left is “Line of Fire” and was inspired by a story on children and civilians shot in Iraq, postal service changes, and the “bottom line” on health care. The image to the right is “Sting” and was inspired by a front page story with the headline, “Bernanke Jabs Back at Fed’s Criticism.” Born in Omaha, NE, Sesow suffered a tragic childhood accident when he was struck by a landing airplane near his rural home and a propeller severed his arm. Doctors were able to reattach it at the hospital, but his dominant hand had to be amputated. He achieves more with the remaining hand than most do with both. Sesow’s work is explosive and bold. His paintings come from the gut and are filled with tension that is immediately arresting. Each stroke appears to be blasted onto the canvas and his portraits are particularly gritty, expressive, and in-your-face. No hearts and flowers scenery here, the artist strives for emotional, personal interpretation and achieves it heartily. Take a look!

-- Rosemary Carstens
http://www.CarstensCommunications.com

Here’s a video interview of the artist: