Pastel is the medium of choice at Kish
Kish Gallery exhibit shows the range of expression that the medium permits
Founded in the Baltimore area in 1977, the Maryland Pastel Society is so devoted to its medium that “Pastel Passion” is a really apt title for its current exhibit at the Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House.
Although this group show features a wide range of subject matter, it’s understandable if you find yourself gravitating toward works that directly address the summer season.
An artist who gets at the essence of summer in a totally abstract manner is Anne Selling, whose “Summer Vortex” is a swirling mix of red, pink, orange and yellow. This pastel really conveys a feeling of hot energy.
Other artists work in a more conventionally realistic manner. Among the places they take us, the beach is a favored destination.
For a primal sense of what it’s like in the watery zone where the ocean meets the shore, have a look at two pastels by Laurie Basham. It’s significant that both “Crashing Wave” and “Incoming Tide” depict small waves, because the artist is not looking for natural drama. Instead, she calls your attention to the gentle blending of various shades of blue and white.
For an inhabited beach, turn to Mary Boeh’s “Hot Sand.” It depicts a woman in a bathing suit in the foreground. She is walking away from the viewer, and so this pastel is concerned with showing people within this environment rather than being a psychological study of a particular woman.
In that regard, the background contains a cluster of colorful umbrellas and several additional people. It’s a densely populated community, in its own way.
Getting away from the beach and yet remaining within summer subject matter,Boeh has a pastel called “Suns” that depicts sunflowers.
This tightly cropped composition prompts you to think about these bright yellow discs, with scattered bits of greenery and blue sky visible in the background.
Moving into the rural landscape, Deborah Maklowski has “Lavender Trio,” whose title refers to how three fields completely filled with purple flowering lavender are surrounded by greener fields.
Other artists in the exhibit depict other seasons, but who wants to think about the winter now? These artists also take on an assortment of subjects and do so with various means of applying the pastel itself. Some of the artists apply the pastel in a chunky manner emphasizing its solidity, while others meld pastel shades together in gentler ways.
By way of using firmly applied pastel to establish a nocturnal mood, a fine example is Lyn Laviana’s “Night Light.” It depicts a gas station illuminated within a pitch-black night.
There is only a single customer at the pump, and so it’s a quiet and even lonely scene.
In terms of art-historical precedent, you may be reminded of melancholic night scenes by Edward Hopper; the gas station setting, however, also evokes the work of a more contemporary artist, Ed Ruscha.
For a forceful blending of a few basic colors, consider Joyce Lister’s “Closing the Gap.”
Four closely spaced horses seem even closer together owing to how the mostly earth-toned colors used to depict the horses blend into the brown used to depict the dirt track on which they are running.
There are streaks of purple worked into the horses’ bodies, though, and they give a sense of speed to the racing scene. The purple lines also complement the vivid colors worn by the jockeys.
The Maryland Pastel Society exhibits through Aug. 11 at the Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House, 10400 Cross Fox Lane in Wilde Lake Village Center in Columbia. Call 410-730- 3987.
Although this group show features a wide range of subject matter, it’s understandable if you find yourself gravitating toward works that directly address the summer season.
An artist who gets at the essence of summer in a totally abstract manner is Anne Selling, whose “Summer Vortex” is a swirling mix of red, pink, orange and yellow. This pastel really conveys a feeling of hot energy.
Other artists work in a more conventionally realistic manner. Among the places they take us, the beach is a favored destination.
For a primal sense of what it’s like in the watery zone where the ocean meets the shore, have a look at two pastels by Laurie Basham. It’s significant that both “Crashing Wave” and “Incoming Tide” depict small waves, because the artist is not looking for natural drama. Instead, she calls your attention to the gentle blending of various shades of blue and white.
For an inhabited beach, turn to Mary Boeh’s “Hot Sand.” It depicts a woman in a bathing suit in the foreground. She is walking away from the viewer, and so this pastel is concerned with showing people within this environment rather than being a psychological study of a particular woman.
In that regard, the background contains a cluster of colorful umbrellas and several additional people. It’s a densely populated community, in its own way.
Getting away from the beach and yet remaining within summer subject matter,Boeh has a pastel called “Suns” that depicts sunflowers.
This tightly cropped composition prompts you to think about these bright yellow discs, with scattered bits of greenery and blue sky visible in the background.
Moving into the rural landscape, Deborah Maklowski has “Lavender Trio,” whose title refers to how three fields completely filled with purple flowering lavender are surrounded by greener fields.
Other artists in the exhibit depict other seasons, but who wants to think about the winter now? These artists also take on an assortment of subjects and do so with various means of applying the pastel itself. Some of the artists apply the pastel in a chunky manner emphasizing its solidity, while others meld pastel shades together in gentler ways.
By way of using firmly applied pastel to establish a nocturnal mood, a fine example is Lyn Laviana’s “Night Light.” It depicts a gas station illuminated within a pitch-black night.
There is only a single customer at the pump, and so it’s a quiet and even lonely scene.
In terms of art-historical precedent, you may be reminded of melancholic night scenes by Edward Hopper; the gas station setting, however, also evokes the work of a more contemporary artist, Ed Ruscha.
For a forceful blending of a few basic colors, consider Joyce Lister’s “Closing the Gap.”
Four closely spaced horses seem even closer together owing to how the mostly earth-toned colors used to depict the horses blend into the brown used to depict the dirt track on which they are running.
There are streaks of purple worked into the horses’ bodies, though, and they give a sense of speed to the racing scene. The purple lines also complement the vivid colors worn by the jockeys.
The Maryland Pastel Society exhibits through Aug. 11 at the Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House, 10400 Cross Fox Lane in Wilde Lake Village Center in Columbia. Call 410-730- 3987.
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