FINE ART TODAY
FAMILIAR IMAGES THAT DISSOLVE INTO ABSTRACTION
BY CHERIE DAWN HAAS, EDITOR, FINE ART TODAY
MARCH 26, 2018
FAMILIAR IMAGES THAT DISSOLVE INTO ABSTRACTION
Ken Karlic, Metropolis, watercolor, 30 x 50 in.
Discover two artists who use distortion techniques to disrupt familiar images in Disruption, a fine art exhibition at InLiquid (Philadelphia) through April 7, 2018. “The theme for this show developed when we saw a connection between Tom Herbert and Ken Karlic in their work,” says Catherine Sirizzotti, InLiquid Programming + Development Associate. “We thought it would be great to explore two very different approaches to creating disrupted, yet familiar images. Not only is their choice in subject matter quite different, but also their choice in mediums. However, when displayed together, the works harmonize in unexpected ways.”
The exhibition highlights the figurative work of Tom Herbert, showcasing his eye-catching mixed media works that blend collage, painting, and assemblage to create images of the human figure through an altered lens. “In my mixed media work, which is a blend of collage, painting and assemblage,” Tom says, “I attempt to reflect and distort the world around us. My method of work involves deconstructing print images and reassembling them in a way that creates a new narrative.”
Ken Karlic, X's and O's, watercolor, 14 x 21 in.
Ken Karlic, on the other hand, uses watercolor to create distorted landscapes that dissolve into varying levels of abstraction. “My watercolors can best be described as sophisticated chaos,” Karlic tells us. “My main objective is in expressing how something feels rather than how it looks, and in the sheer physicality of a subject captured in the sheer physicality of paint. With spontaneous brushstrokes and textures, I find beauty in the streets, scaffolding, and grit of everyday life, and am interested in various types of structure and architecture. My paintings have a basis in the representational, but often dissolve into varying levels of abstraction. Surprises are not only welcomed — but also invited — as marks, scratches, drips, and splatters all become part of the final piece.”
Ken Karlic, Take the Ramp to the Left, watercolor, 14 x 21 in.
Karlic’s series featured in this fine art exhibition follows the theme of “City Lights” and is focused around a large-scale work capturing an evening cityscape, with smaller works that display familiar views from behind automobiles on the road.