THE KIMBALL Art Center is offering up a visual repast: paintings by Randi Wagner and sculpture by Donald Davis.
Wagner - a onetime realist watercolorist turned venturesome abstractionist - has been tagged by many as a "missionary for abstract art." And while she has accrued many converts through her sermons (large acrylic paintings), this exhibit will, without doubt, fetch another rich harvest."To get some people to look at abstract paintings takes a little bit of education," says Wagner. "They just need to get over the brink a bit so they start viewing the art more emotionally rather than looking for a reproduction of something they see."
Wagner's approach to painting is to create the "series." "Desert Varnish," in 1980, was her first series, followed by "Desert Lichen." Then came the "Gemstone Series," which incorporated the use of metallic pigments for the first time. In 1990, after a trip to the Orient, Wagner began her "Chinese Series."
"My work is really my journal," she says. "It's always reflective of where I've been or what I'm involved in at the time."
In her 1993 painting "Rolling Flash," which is inspired by a black opal, Wagner creates a Kandinsky-esque free-for-all with primary colors that explode off the canvas. She enlarged a section of the opal to 4 by 5 feet and, taking artistic license, painted it. "I've utilized this technique quite a bit through the years," she says. The painting is one of the strongest pieces in the show.
"Mercury" has so thin an application of pigment it coerces the viewer to approach and study. Sweeping yellow circles crash through these diaphanous regions, dissecting swatches of aquas, pinks, magentas and blacks.
Other strong works in the show are "Exodus," "Backlot," "Fiesta," "Reverie" - which has a delightfully Oriental air - and "Wildflowers" where, with no texture in her brushstroke, Wagner manages to create a "granular" bouquet.
In 1996's "Ode to Joy," Wagner borders on returning to her florals of the '70s. She worried it would ruin her reputation as an abstractionist. But just as Wagner's work is her journal, "Ode to Joy" is a natural result of the past year: She was her own contractor on a new, 1800-square-foot studio. With all the work she didn't have time to travel. Her garden became her inspiration. "I'm an avid gardener and in the summer that's my art, so that was a great influence."
Wagner believes "art should elevate the human spirit and capture positive emotions." Her work does just that.
Donald Davis has been carving out a life for himself as a sculptor since he graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1972. His work has been described as a delicate balance between architectural classicism and abstraction, and gallerygoers will be astounded at the impeccable craftsmanship in each piece.
An ardent lover of stone carving, Davis spent several years in Carrara, Italy, honing his skills.
His expertise begins with his design skill, generating models and clear working drawings that convey his proposed concept. Color and texture, scale and proportion are carefully considered, and he is adept at employing a variety of materials, including limestone, granite, marble, plaster and metal.
"Bearable Lightness of Being" is a large piece of white Carrara marble resting on a solid block of polished granite. The marble's thin, translucent edges gracefully curl and dip, and the points of contact with the granite base are so subtle that the marble carving appears to float.
In "Spring" (Carrara and black Belgian marble) the budding leaves of a flower awaken and search for the sun, rising with such delicate twists and turns that viewers will find themselves walking around the piece again and again.
"Love & Order" (Portuguese marble and limestone) is carved to appear to be, on one side, a series of bricks stacked in an orderly fashion with a window positioned directly in the center. On the other side, the bricks swell and dip alluringly. The window in the center is decorative. One side is order, the other is flexibility; there is love.
Another powerful piece is "Sentinel" (bronze and black Belgian marble). It's totemic, official and as somber and grand as an archaeological artifact on loan from the British Museum.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Exibition
Paintings by Randi Wagner and sculpture by Donald Davis will be on display at the Kimball Art Center (638 Park Ave., Park City, 649-8882) through April 3.
Gallery hours:
Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sun. 12-6 p.m.