~KENT DORN . . SHADOWLAND .. PART II

MORE PIX FROM THE OPENING . .

KENT DORN . . . ‘SHADOWLAND’
OCT 17 – NOV 16, 2013
FREIGHT+VOLUME – 530 WEST 24TH ST – CHELSEA


KENT DORN, ‘Outsiders’, 2013.
mixed media on canvas, 80 x 60 in.
($15,000)

I like this particular piece because it’s about .. outsiders. just joking. NOT !!
I like the way it has a foot in both camps. the sunlight does manage to come through, the vast darkness of the woods . . the guitar player, and the little dog lapping water, the ‘shared’ social overtones. the vast growth, and the flowing water. still not polluted, not submerged in litter or pollution.
but the rural life is bittersweet, there’s a feeling things are not all they should be .. life’s not that sunny. the forest is degrading, tree limbs are breaking in front of our eyes, the water seems . . icy cold.
there’s a dead end there, lurking just off center.
a vacuous in the faces, that says these are not just revelers, these are hard-times folks.
it’s bittersweet, one foot in the light, and one foot in the dark.

it’s interesting to note the contrast between this show and Kent Dorn’s previous solo show, at FREIGHT+VOLUME . . back in NOV 2010.
in his previous show, titled: ‘REMAINS” . . it was a little heavy going on the portraits, of which .. single portraits there are none – in this show. a nice evolution. it’s nice to see how he moves around in his ‘gray’ area, rather than being ‘trapped’ by it.

see: BIG STREET PARTY/KENT DORN

see: KENT DORN/more opening pix


detail, ‘Outsiders’.
things are not quite as dramatic as a car crash. but they still speak .. plenty.
though the narrative is still there .. to draw out, reflecting off the way the world has moved forward (?), since 2010. though it seems to be afternoon, it feels more night, than .. day.
but not totally .. creepy. just hazy, just at that midpoint, where good meets bad.
light meets dark.


detail, ‘Outsiders’
the painterly technique has evolved, too. it’s a touch cooler, still dramatic, but kind of submerged, like a pulse rather than a shout. with delicate moments, among the big brushstrokes.
flat and linear areas flares up, just as easily as those that are built-up, with painterly 3-D modelling . .
all good.


detail, ‘Outsiders’.
the detailing .. is a road trip – all in itself.


as in most of Kent Dorn’s paintings, esp the landscapes, the sun .. and sometimes the moon, and sometimes both – is really a big part of the game.
a big multi-layered concept / metaphor . . to consider.
a big aspect of the emotional content.


this painting also really fascinated me. it had a sun, and a moon, and a . . vignette.


the light from the sun and the moon . .
vignette: “a brief evocative description, account or episode.”
vignette: “a small illustration or portrait ‘photograph’ that fades into its background, without a definite border.
source: define vignette


KENT DORN, ‘Campfire Song (Waiting for the Eclipse)’, 2013.
mixed media on canvas, 72 x 96 in.
($16,000)


there is always a surface play – a physical approach to the paint – that is a trip in and of itself, but that also, obviously .. informs the narrative, and contributes to that sense of ‘darkness’.


it’s also a balancing act. counter-balancing, really.
the paint is applied with such ‘passion’ .. yet the overall result is: cool. dark abstract, haunting.
both scratched in, and . . layered over.


nice scene, the red tent and the fire .. the glow around all, yet .. darkness prevails.
sadness prevails.


it’s almost oriental . . in it’s gray area, no border yin yang approach.
it’s not, your standard . . gung ho Americana, that for sure.

MORE PIX FROM THE OPENING . . POSTING SUNDAY.

PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH