Shanna Bruschi and Kitty Gordon
Shanna Bruschi and Kitty Gordon
3980 Piedmont Ave. Oakland, CA 94611
From May 10th to June 25th, 2016
Artists’ reception Friday, June 3rd 6pm – 8pm
Shanna Bruschi
My work is a continual exploration of the human form and its relationship to the temporal space it inhabits. Recently, the space itself has become more of an abstract narrative, irrespective and often without the figure. My process is very physical, in which I energetically cover the canvas with thick layers of paint that are worked and reworked. The texture becomes an object as well as a space; it is empty yet has a restless energy. The figures and forms reveal themselves to me as I am painting, often emerging as an image that morphs into something totally different by the time it is complete. This method allows me little control, suggesting emotions and states of being rather than detailing. I love the challenge of rebelling against the rules of order and finding passages of harmony in the discord.
Music is an integral part of my process. Loud, rhythmic music pulsating in my studio helps take me to an altered state of mind where brushstrokes often follow the beat and forms materialize, simultaneously revealing and disappearing as the music moves me. I do not look at any images as references, but search my own catalogue of images…thoughts…experience that have moved me silently from within.
I am inspired by so many great artists, including the Bay Area Figurative painters; Hans Hoffman, Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, Giacometti, Caravaggio & Turner.
Kitty Gordon
My sculptures are made from a mixture of recycled materials and found objects such as bottle caps, cardboard, paper, building materials, and household hardware giving new life to what was once discarded and unwanted. Influenced by the practice of reuse, my material choices are based solely on what I already have on hand which is a collection of items that I have found or have been given to me by others. Sometimes my creations are ephemeral, existing only for a short period of time due to the fragile nature of the material. There are also times when I disassemble older work and use these pieces to create something new.
My process involves handling each object and exploring various ways in which to transform the material into something previously unimagined and unseen. Rather than conceiving an idea for a sculpture and figuring out how to create it, I allow the materials to guide me to the end result without any preconceived notion as to what the final outcome may be. Within each sculpture lies a unique story of where the material originally came from and its journey toward a new purpose and use. My work refers to the need for transformation and renewal in a world where natural resources are becoming more limited and creative solutions are required in order to sustain our society.
