R e v i e w  of Solo Exhibition "Connections"
Show Dates: July 8 - 29, 2008

2008 Show Works | About the Artist

This will be Rebecca Crowell’s first solo exhibition of new works at Darnell Fine Art. Crowell is a Wisconsin painter whose richly hued color field paintings are evocative of ancient times and mystical places. Some seem to embody the frescos of ancient Rome while others give one the feeling of a cool forest glade. The various panels that are joined together tell a story through subtle color and subtractive markings whether a canyon wall of petroglyphs or autumn leaves finding their way to the ground. She will be presenting fifteen new works on panel.

Crowell’s statement for “Connections"

“My process is one of placing together multiple painted panels, to read as a unified whole. Individual panels are created using layers of oil paint mixed with wax medium, and applied with a variety of tools and techniques.

The paintings in this exhibit, all from 2008, are the most recent explorations of this approach, which I have been developing over the past five years. Connections in the show’s title refers to both the physical proximity of the painted panels as well as to their conceptual aspects.

I am often asked for details about how these paintings evolve, and the answer is not straightforward at all. Because each painting is made up of a number of individual panels, its final form represents many decisions as to color, texture and format, with various arrangements tried out and rejected along the way. The process is both intuitive and carefully considered, as I am looking for something that both “feels right” and also has meaning and a formal integrity. While all are open to interpretation by the viewer, some paintings have personal associations for me; others evoke something of nature or the landscape; and some are purely abstract interactions of texture and color."