kathleen lemoine:

Shaped - By time, intention, and circumstance

February 6-29, 2024*

FIRST WEDNESDAY OPENING: Feb 7, FROM 6 - 9PM

ARTICULATE ARTIST TALK: SUNDAY, Feb 11, AT 4PM.

NORMAL GALLERY HOURS: TUE - SUN, 12PM - 6PM

FOLLOW US AT BRGALLERY FOR UPDATES AND IMAGES!

*Note: BRG will be closed on Tuesday, Feb 13th for the Mardi Gras holiday.

Kathleen Lemoine was born in New Orleans Louisiana, moving at an early age to Baton Rouge Louisiana. The South Louisiana landscape has always been an important theme in her work, be it painting, printmaking, or sculpture.

As a painter, what lead me to begin working three dimensionally, to break down a painting into its pieces and parts and to begin shaping wood and hardboard panels before even thinking about color?
One of the most important reasons was that it made the painting feel more object-like and less “precious” and that in turn led to a freedom I hadn’t felt earlier when working on canvas and paper. The process took longer and I began to take pleasure in the time it took to shape and sand, paint and then to often redo what instigated the painting in the first place - scraps of oddly shaped wood or a quick sketch.
I was able to be in the workshop using simple tools while the back and forth from studio to workshop acted as an antidote to my natural restlessness while also allowing more time for problem solving and contemplation. This way of working also connected me in a deep and important way to what I’ve always admired - the balance of physical, intellectual and spiritual work.
Finally and very practically, these pieces could be presented sans frame, glass or mat which was and is a constant source of happiness. After many years as a painter, when I go into the studio now, I want only joy.

Lemoine has exhibited her work regionally and nationally. Residencies and conferences brought her to North Adams and Provincetown, Massachusetts and Jemez Springs, New Mexico. Honors include a National Endowment of the Arts fellowship as well as grants from the Louisiana Division of the Arts.

Her work has been featured in New American Paintings, Encaustic Works 12, A Biennial International Juried Exhibition in Print and Authentic Visual Voices: Contemporary Paper & Encaustic.

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from Leslie Friedman, Craig McCullen, and Van Wade Day. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during regular gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) from February 6 - 29, 2024.