Ann Aspinwall / Catherine Kernan at The Yard Bryant Park

Dec 12, 2017 – Mar 16, 2018

Catherine Kernan

Catherine has abandoned the depiction of a particular place on the earth, preferring to work in an abstract, improvisatory way at the interface between printmaking and
painting. She prints from large-scale woodblocks in unorthodox ways to build imageslayer by layer in a painterly process of controlled accident.

This work derives from the premise that human relationships with the earth are
dynamic, mutable, interactive, and move in ever-evolving cycles of repetition and
variation. This could equally describe the generative potential of printmaking.

Printmaking is a multifaceted and pivotal category of contemporary art studio practice.The many traditional fine art printmaking processes, augmented by ever-expanding options of modern photo and digital technology, are deeply embedded in all forms of contemporary art. From singular impressions to the infinite digital replication of images, the concepts of transfer and replication are lodged in our psyches and expectations.

Ann Aspinwall

My work of the past few years employs the fundamental elements of line and a few select colors to suggest luminous expanses of water, landscape, and sky in certain light and atmospheric conditions. The lines are all hand-drawn from my imagination. I draw with immense concentration and deliberation in order to invest each individual line with significant information to convey the topographical features of the invented terrain. In this endeavor I have been aided by my research on contour maps and the work of cartographer Kitiro Tanaka. The optical effects of highlights, shadows, and depth are achieved through variations of line density and the meticulous choice of colors.

The title Spirit of Place pays homage to the British author Lawrence Durrell (and his collection of letters and essays on travel of the same title), whose incomparably perceptive and elegant descriptions of landscapes render the distinctive feel of a place.