Studio Gallery artist Kathryn Camicia uses her deep knowledge of the fine arts to push and pull the boundaries of paint’s materiality. Her techniques allow her to create a sensuous level of depth and layering within her work. She marries oil paint (well known for its remarkable ability to blend seamlessly) with latex, resulting in canvasses dripping with saturated color and compositions so rich with substance that they mimic the Japanese art of Suminagashi, or ink marbling on water. She uses this style of painting to create abstract pieces as well as landscapes, expressing her love of the natural world through a metaphorically rosy lens.
Burnt Island, 2017, Latex and oil paint on canvas, 30" x 30"
Camicia’s most recent works have been focused on islands and the concept of isolation as a means of unpacking the emotions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Latin root of isolate is insula meaning island. Each island, real or imagined, has a state of being that is unique and idiosyncratic, just like people.”
Besides her use of composition and concept to explore this theme of singularity and separateness, she also cleverly uses her canvases to split her paintings in two. Her use of diptychs is extremely successful in these recent works, as they offer a new way to alter the way viewers understand them. Looking at her beautiful paintings, it is clear that, despite how lush in color and full of life they are, they also contain a deep sense of solitude. On the surface, they are opulent and visceral, but they do contain undertones of sorrow and disconnection. As seen below, her newer works in her “Potomac” series also utilize a slightly cooler color palette than she has used in the past.
Though her signature yellows remain, they are tinged more deeply with green and blue. Though there are still shades of orange and red, they melt into the cooler yellows, making them also appear more cool-toned. These choices, paired with her use of negative space on the pure white canvases, come together to instill a sense of emptiness and history; we can see that parts are missing among the beautifully rich colors, and we yearn for them to come back. We look at these paintings, pining for the lustrous colors of Camicia’s paintbrush to seep into the white spaces, filling the emptiness with warmth and texture.
Many people during this pandemic have felt the pain of loss; whether it has been families losing mothers, fathers, and children, or simply the loss of sociality in this time of isolation and illness, we have all felt the impact of this event. Camicia’s recent paintings, to us, emulate the deeply complex emotions that might be felt at a family dinner table, loved ones gathered, eyes fixed on one newly empty chair. This pandemic has made us both unfathomably sorrowful and desperate to grasp at the beautiful luxury of the sheer fact that we are alive. Despite the sadness, there is so much beauty. Despite the grief, we are still fighting to enjoy every moment.
Untitled, 2020, Latex and oil on canvas, 30” x 60”
Art has such a beautiful way of not only allowing the artist to express that which cannot be fully verbalized, but also allowing viewers a level of catharsis by connecting with those emotions on the canvas. An important aspect of art is how it affects communities and allows us to share our thoughts with one another. Kathryn Camicia’s paintings are deeply relatable due to the restless sense of humanity and exploration infused into them. Each piece of work is magnetic, drawing us in through their rich colors, evocative textures, and sumptuous compositions.
By Director Halley Stubis