wait for no one."
13th Century Italian Proverb
Emily Kimball presents her subtly colored paintings of abstracted seascapes and her interactive architectural constructions with multiple movable polyurethane figures.
Kimball's sumptuous paintings arise out of Turner's seascapes of the 19th century, in which the liquidity of paint was used in a radically new way to depict sea and sky. Her work is also equally part of the tradition of color field painting that begin in 1950's Abstract Expressionism, in which drips of paint gave painting a new way to suggest time and movement. Jackson Pollack most notably pioneered this approach. Kimball's synthesis of these disparate sources arrives with less existential angst, expressing instead a sense of dynamic peace and active serenity. Her painterly technique is rigorously confined to long drips of liquid acrylics that often run the length of the mostly horizontal canvases she employs. By altering colors and tones she is able to create the effect of ocean waves, light and weather. Her one to one relationship between the liquidity of paint and the wetness of her abstracted subject matter neatly establishes a harmony between process and final product that is especially pleasing. In some of the pieces she "loses" the horizon line, ala Monet, to produce pictures of place that are equally impressive abstract compositions. Most recently she has introduced a diagonal flow in her work that increases the sense of drama in a way that recalls the great ink paintings of Japan. Her ability to create so much variety and deep space using an essentially minimalist approach that is a stunning achievement.
Kimball's "house constructions", exhibited in the past at Salon Margraff, are equally pleasing but represent an entirely different direction for the artist. In these modern architectural models she creates model open plan homes for cast polyurethane figures and invites the viewer to play. By moving the figures around in their houses one creates a variety of psychological narratives. These highly crafted works suggest the childhood experience of playing with dolls and offer deeper interpretation for the more intellectually inclined. In this case the domestic setting represents architecture of the psyche, and bodily human interaction is highlighted as a space for building meaning.
Additionally exciting is the merger of both bodies of work as the artist attempts to bring together the abstract seascape and the human figure in ways that promise to break new artistic ground. Kimball grew up in New Mexico and her new work is evidence that the region has much to offer in terms of cutting edge contemporary art. Time and tides wait for no one, but as this new body of work proves, Emily Kimball isn't waiting either.
Jon Carver
