“The center will not hold in Kathryn Camicia’s abstract paintings. The pictures that introduce her Studio Gallery show, “Letting Go,” consist of rough squares of mottled, seemingly moist paint splashed at the middle of contrasting single-color backdrops. These potent “Portals” combine three kinds of pigment — flashe, oil and latex — to yield densely layered, multihued blocks that suggest both liquid and light. While the backgrounds could not be flatter, the soft-edged central forms simulate infinite depths.
Portal #4, Kathryn Camicia, 2022, Flashe, oil, and latex, 30” x 30”, $500
In another series, the local artist uses variegated color to frame channels of white that flow irregularly through the middle of diptychs. Although the color schemes are not naturalistic, these pictures evoke creeks and recall earlier Camicia abstractions that were more clearly derived from nature. So does the show’s title painting, which is dominated by an aqueous blue wave that breaks on a tan expanse that can be seen as a beach. Other pictures somewhat resemble Jackson Pollock canvases but are focused on central figures that appear floral.
It’s fitting that much of Camicia’s work evokes seas and streams, since her technique emphasizes the fluidity of her media. The artist combines oil- and water-based pigments, which can overlap but never fully mix. Pouring and dripping, Camicia crafts pictures that surge with possibility.”
Review by Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, October 2022. Thank you!
Letting Go, Kathryn Camicia, 2022, Flashe, oil, and latex, 36” x 48”, $800