“Everything Shines as it Disappears” 
Oil on linen
36 x 60 in.
www.turnerfineart.com
 
Light on the Land
Kathryn Turner’s latest collection of works is entitled “Light on the Land” which relates to three central concepts she explores in her artwork. 

Firstly, visible light itself compels most artists by illuminating form and making color possible. In this body of work, Turner explores the many varieties of light from bright sunshine, to the diffused light of fog. One constant is that, in the landscape her native Jackson Hole, the light is ever changing, and this is directly reflected in her evolving artwork.

Among the highlights of this exhibition are many spectacular images of wildlife and animal subjects. These abstracted images capture a sense of movement and vitality in the forms. 

Turner’s passion for animals stems from her upbringing on the Triangle X Ranch – a family guest ranch business located within Grand Teton National Park. Working with the animals on the ranch and encounters with the wildlife that surrounded it gave her an appreciation for the beauty of their physical forms as well as a reverence for the way they live in harmony with the environment. She is inspired by how animal species live so light on the land. With deep reverence, she believes we can learn from them about how to live sustainably on this earth. Her paintings reflect this admiration. 

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a complex and bold painting of a herd of horses. This notable piece is complex in nature due to its abstracted composition and use of color. “Everything Shines as it Disappears” reflects Turner’s maturity as a artist. It tells a personal story of her family’s recent experience with Alzheimer’s disease. Objectively, the artist has retained the essential forms of the anatomy of the horses while expressing a heightened level of energy and mystery. The horse on the far left eventually fades to a gossamer veil. “I wanted to really push myself in this piece by creating a daring, expressive piece. I believe that, by its nature, art is meant to evolve. It was my hope that this painting could pave its own path to someplace all-together new.”  Such a goal would be paralyzing had it not been that Turner found a Leonard Cohen quote which provided guidance “Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. This is how the light gets in.” In order to allow for the natural evolution of the painting as well as her own style, she had to have a lightness in her approach and be willing to explore new territory. The result is indeed a rare image with singular expression.
 


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