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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Kendra Gebbia @ Cuppa Java
Wednesday 14 January @ 12:50:35 |
 by Valerie Valentine
All over the Cities, artists are creating. Kendra Gebbia found a corner cafe to display her latest work. The pastels and abstract forms smolder quietly as Bryn Mawr locals go about their caffeinated business at Cuppa Java.
Every person interprets abstract art differently. One person might appreciate the colors, but the form and shape leaves him cold. Another might find personal meaning in vague patterns, while the next person can’t see anything figural. We must trust, though, that the artist means to express something; be it an emotion or an idea, it’s always a part of the artist’s psyche and should be treated with care.
“Don Plimpton” by Kendra Gebbia
The wall is more than just itself now, all dressed up in a painting. Art affects the environment and the people in it, if only briefly while sugaring a coffee, or longer, subconsciously, as a lingering dream might.
The shift in consciousness is subtle but real, and, for me, fun. Gazing upon “Pearl ‘n Green” oddly gave me the desire to dance or go swimming. Conceptual pieces are puzzles; Gebbia’s paintings make me happy in their mysterious mysticism.
These oils on wood are the most soothing images I’ve encountered in some time. Warm, feminine tones create a glow that enfolds the gaze like a big hug in “Mother’s Repeat.” At first glance the art comforts, and then upon closer inspection become curious. Faces emerge from soft shadows; seeds sprout and seem to be growing.
“Orchid Tree Bluegrass” pulls the viewer into a vortex of genuine self-reflection as the motion leads one to question the acceptance of abstraction. Something about the simple forms (an egg or a moon?) tell me to quit analyzing and just enjoy the damn painting. Challenging oneself to displace time and intuitive reactions further increases the tension projected by this.
“The Orchid Tree Bluegrass” by Kendra Gebbia
The art writer’s posture subjugates itself between popular and counter culture, dictated from subjective personal taste. Journalistic impartiality is a nice theory, but not possible in a review. From this angle, I, the writer, find myself looking at art. Within this cynical paradox, is there a way to find a cooperative truth between an artist’s meaning and her work’s interpretation? Sometimes museums put little notes next to abstract paintings to explain them. Do they help, or hinder? Ask me on different days and I’ll give you different answers. All I want to know right now is …who is Don Plimptron?
The Kendra Gebbia exhibit runs through January. Cuppa Java, 400 Penn Ave. S., Mpls. 612-374-4806 .
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