Work by Karen Kurka Jensen, Cara Schwindt, Jodi Steen
MAY 18 – JULY 6, 2018
Our Sacred Landscape features the work of three Utah artists taking inspiration from the beauty of the landscape. Each artist expresses their viewpoint through a different medium. Karen Kurka Jensen uses water, ink, and color on delicate rice paper, Cara Schwindt works in textiles, and Jodi Steen uses acrylic paints on canvas and raised panels as a medium.
The artists have combined their work to reveal a passion for nature. “I often find inspiration in the colors of the landscape. The colors of a scree field or the combination of colors on the barren hills between autumn and winter- I weave these influences into my work,” explains Schwindt.
Jodi Steen’s work represents the landscapes that she experiences in her many outdoor adventures. Her abstract approach to landscape painting is in two parts: the sky is fluid and loose with long strokes, while the land, or water sections becomes very tight with numerous layers of lines and texture. Her paintings evolve through multiple layers and textures based on a combination of land, sky, and water. She applies abstraction by breaking down the obvious views until there is nothing left but shape and color.
Sumi-e is the Japanese word is for black ink painting. The discipline developed concurrently with calligraphy; using ink and a brush on rice paper or silk. When speaking of her work, Karen Kurka Jensen said, “I find in nature, peace and healing. When I discovered the medium of sumi-e, where the importance is connecting spiritually to your subject, I found the language of my soul.”
*Featured image: Karen Kurka Jensen, Needling the Sun, Ink and watercolor on xuan paper, 2017