Published in
Oranges & Sardines (O&S) Vol. II, Issue 3 | Summer 2009
At a recent opening in Beverly Hills' sleek Cush Salon, we set aside any insecurities about our Fantastic Sam's haircuts to observe around 30 paintings created by Kris Cahill, an artist and clairvoyant based in Los Angeles. It's fitting that the abstract painter is also a seer of auras, since her work is most simply described as colorful and energetic.
While attending the Art Institute of Chicago, Cahill began her exploration of her signature technique, reverse painting: She paints backward with acrylics on clear vinyl, which, once dried and bonded, is stretched to frames with the color inside. The result is vibrant depth beneath a hard, smooth, very glossy finish that simultaneously looks soft to the touch. (Any artist who has used labor-intensive resin to create a clear shell over his work would surely cry at its lackluster appearance when compared to the clever vinyl technique.)
According to Cahill, one benefit of reverse painting is the inevitable surprise of the finished product: Since it's not always possible to see what's happening when painting backward and overlaying color, even the artist does not know for sure what the piece will look like when the final stroke is made.
The pieces shown at Cush range from pillowy and daubed (
Peacock, 2007) to frenetic with bold strokes (
Freefall, 2008), so it is easy to understand--or convince yourself that you understand, anyway--the range of emotion the artist experiences while she's painting. For those less imaginative, the titles of her works, such as
The Beauty of This Moment,
It Began as a Quiet Evening, and
A Slight Change of Plans, hint at a narrative to nudge you in the right direction. In fact, Cahill's 2009 artist statement cites the importance of her works' titles.
Beside varied brush techniques, Cahill experiments with scraping and combing (
Birds of a Feather, 2008) and, rarely, incorporating deconstructed geometric shapes (
Four Corners, 2008). A newer branch of her work features bold hearts on color fields (
Passion Heart, 2009). Some pieces are composed of only a few colors, while others jump wildly across the color spectrum.
When it comes to color, seeing her work online or in print cannot come close to the experiencing the boldness and feelings apparent when standing before the actual paintings. Printing cannot match the vibrancy of her palette; the web cannot represent its luminosity or depth; and neither can accurately recreate the shine or complexity of a metallic medium, which Cahill sometimes uses.
Some think abstract art is hard to understand and that it breaks all the rules of traditional art, such as composition, space, and texture. Perhaps owing to her background in fine art, Cahill's pieces seem created in deference to these principles. The ability to create solid composition while retaining emotional freedom and "looseness" is a particular value of her paintings, which range in size from eight inches square to nearly three feet square.
Viewers will find themselves drawn to pieces because of their color, style, or overall feeling. This creates a community spirit to her exhibits, as people discuss why they think particular pieces call to them. (It also provides a fun exercise of wondering whether being more attracted to the cuddly or intense works is a sign of one's own demeanor.)
The momentum of Cahill's work is evident in each painting as well as her schedule: Although she's recently decided to refocus on her clairvoyant work, her paintings are currently on display at three other locations (Women Painters West in Encino, Colori Kitchen in downtown Los Angeles, and the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce office) and available at an Etsy.com shop and each week at the Sunday Brentwood Farmer's Market.
More information about the artist and her work can be found at KrisCahill.com.
