This May, Jean Kigel Studio + Gallery presents “Paddle Season,” a series of paintings about paddling.
The featured painting, “Aim High, Aim Deep, Aim Far,” is something she painted for the Trekkers fundraiser. Using gesso and oil paint, she transformed the waters of Muscongus Bay, the peaks of the Camden Mountains, and the constellations of our dark skies into asymmetric, geometric shapes symbolizing facets of life. She hopes to inspire Trekkers to envision limitless possibilities on their journeys ahead.
“Paddle Season” includes Kigel’s Kayak Series, works of modern sumi-e. For the past several years, Kigel has been kayaking and sketching dead, dry remains of fallen trees on the shores of Muscongus Bay. In her studio, she paints their shapes and lines on Asian papers using an experimental resist-and-ink technique. The asymmetrical “nothingness” of white space, contrasted with the force of black ink, is of central significance. Kigel’s aim in this series is to narrate an idea calligraphically — to capture the tao, or vital force, of branches, roots and trunks. Her rhythmic brush strokes harmonize the competing positive and negatives forces in nature.
Jean Kigel Studio + Gallery is at 1396 Back Cove Road in Waldoboro. The gallery is open daily with flexible hours. Call first is recommended at 207-832-5152. For more information or to view paintings, visit www.jeankigel.com.
