burchfield penney

Our recent trip to the Burchfield Penney gallery was an enlightening one. Ive been to this gallery many times, most recently over the summer. But this trip was extra interesting with Docent Coordinator Mary Kozub giving us a walkthrough and commentary. Sometimes I look at a piece and have absolutely no idea what the artist was thinking. But with a little guided thought it all starts to make more sense.
For example, I never noticed how well Burchfield conveys climate, but with his bold colors and painting style, you start to feel how hazy and heavy the weather must be in that moment. This adds a whole new level to WHY I like his works.

I liked his later works much more than the earlier. He seemed to grow into a personalized style as he matured as an artist. This piece called July Sunlight Pouring Down was my favorite work on display. Not only does it look like the sun is pouring down, but the way he pulls the paint down the canvas makes it feel like its so steamy that the paint is washing away.

The second artist we talked about, Jackie Felix, was also very interesting. I do not often think about the oppression of women in those times, mainly because I have never lived through anything like that. In fact I have always been encouraged to do what makes me happy and to be all I can be. So to imagine what that it must have been like to be "inferior" and controlled is eye opening. I'd like to believe that I would have been the type of woman to fight this, probably similarly to Felix through art. Some of her pieces were so emotional, just splashing paint and layering huge brushstrokes to release her anger. The larger pieces told a woman's story throughout history, sometimes a few stories at once. I admired her courage to "pull aside the curtain" in her artwork and highlight the differences in appearances and reality.