| ALBANY - It's always interesting
to see what intrigues outsiders about where you live.
For West Coast artist Jo Ann Kemmis, the 1-mile radius
around the state Capitol struck her as uniquely urban,
with its many contours of old and new buildings in
various conditions.
So much so, Kemmis, who
resides in Portland, Ore., spent her summer painting,
scraping and scratching 26 small canvases inspired by
Albany's downtown now on display through Sept. 30 in
"Surfaces" at Amrose + Sable Gallery on Hudson Street.
Measuring 12 by 12 inches, the acrylic on mortarboard
paintings capture the rough edges and historic elegance
of Albany's centuries-old streetscape in a thoroughly
vivid and enticing way. The richly colored, abstract
works don't reveal any specific buildings per se, but
act as little windows onto downtown Albany that
illustrate the community's facades with a differ ent
approach.
Although a bit
repetitive, the various geometric shapes and forms fuel
one's imagination; the scenes could be Albany, Florence
or Paris. Kemmis' skill lies in her process. She applied
layer upon layer of the fast-drying acrylics to create
textured, tactile works. In between coats, she took a
painter's knife to the canvases and carved out grooves
and indentations - acting almost like a sculptor.
Displayed beneath the
paintings are 200 of the 500 Polaroids Kemmis took of
the area, offering a basis to judge her abstractions and
savvy interpretations - a nice touch. Kemmis began the
project a year ago during her two-year stay in Albany
while working with a wind energy company. Leaving the
region last winter, she completed the series back in
Oregon to fulfill her obligation to gallery owner
Elizabeth Dubban, who commissioned the works.
Tim Kane is a freelance
writer living in Albany and a regular contributor to the
Times Union.
Art review``SURFACES: JO
ANN KEMMIS'' Where: Amrose + Sable Gallery, 306 Hudson
Ave., Albany When: Through Sept. 30 Gallery hours: 5-8
p.m. Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday Info:
(607) 437-6977; http:// www.amrosesablegallery.com/
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