Cindy Kane’s paintings are powerful in their striking, intricately rendered imagery and commanding size. Her masterful use of materials and evocative iconography will be on display at the Granary Gallery from August 7 through 20, where she will be exhibiting alongside Daryl Royster Alexander, Jeanne Staples, and David Wallis.
The large scale of Kane’s paintings amplifies their power. At the same time, her precise brushwork draws us in for a closer look. During a recent studio visit, Kane and I discussed her newest artwork, the centerpiece of which measures an impressive 46 inches by 90 inches. In “First Love,” cherished dolls of all shapes and sizes float through a gray-speckled space as if on a cosmic journey. Each beloved toy makes us think about the child it belongs to, or the adult who still clings to the creature that once brought them a sense of warmth and safety. “First Love” feels like the perfect antidote to the anxiety of the present moment.
Kane explains that this buoyant piece was born out of an earlier one with a very different mood. “Mayhem” is covered with a chaotic swarm of birds flying crazily in all directions high above our heads. Layer upon layer of large, small, colorful, gray, black, and white birds dart about as if insane. The frenzy evokes the unsettling atmosphere of Alfred Hitchcock’s film “The Birds.”
But “Mayhem” is not about avians per se. The image speaks to an underlying sense of disorder and chaos. Kane says, “This winter, I had a difficult time figuring out a path for the work. Finally, I heard an interview with Lady Gaga on NPR about her new album, titled ‘Mayhem.’ Then I just saw it. I realized that this is the time we are living in, and my paintings had to talk about that. This one feels like our times.” She continues, “Growing up in Washington, D.C., during the Vietnam and civil rights eras, this desire to have sociopolitical relevance in my work remains with me. ‘Mayhem’ is a happy accident. It has the relevance without the intention.”
A cluster of smaller birds in “Falling” and the larger ones in “Gravity” are also caught in a downward tumble, creating dramatic images that evoke unease. Referring to the latter, Kane says, “It’s very somber, which speaks to me about where we are as a country. It feels very soulful.” Asked about her pull to birds, which have been part of her visual vocabulary for as long as she can remember, Kane notes, “I have had significant bird sightings, and feel like they carry some message, although nothing specific. It’s not about the bird, but the atmosphere that birds create — a frenetic energy of birds in flight, their motion.”
Kane never begins with a sketch, although she does look at bird books and videos. Sometimes she has a preconceived notion of what she will paint: “With ‘Falling,’ for instance, I didn’t know exactly what it would be, but I had the essence in my mind.”
She uses a mostly gray-toned grisaille palette, which she punctuates with carefully placed bright touches of color: “I always start on a gray background and lighten up from there. Sometimes, after a long run in that black-and-white tone, I suddenly feel starved for color. That’s why I paint toys.”
As the dolls hurdle through space, “First Love” doesn’t carry the same feeling as the bird paintings. It becomes an image of comfort, with the endearing dolls merrily looking out at us. Kane’s single doll “portraits” also radiate personality. At 40 by 30 inches, Kane works with finesse, capturing the worn, nubby texture of “Lamby” with visceral accuracy.
While the iconography is entirely different from the dolls, the baby whale sidling up to its mother in “Watch” radiates a similar warmth. Their penetrating gazes draw us in, beckoning us into this intimate maternal moment, which feels even more powerful because of their massive size. Kane says, “Whales mean a great deal to me. The first and only time I went whale-watching from Provincetown, I was absolutely astonished. The size, scale … they look like buildings bursting out of the water. And then those eyes. The deep intelligence, curiosity. It was a profoundly emotional experience. I wasn’t the only one on that boat who was crying.”
Kane adds about her whale paintings, “There is a part of me that would like to be a sculptor. The large-scale whales have a presence and a physicality that I enjoy seeing. And the interior of the whale shape, which is quite a simple design, is full of interesting abstractions. I spend a lot of time building up layers and layers of paint with a toothbrush, using it to splatter different tones of blue, white, and gray, which finally resemble the skin tone of the whale.” She adds, “I really like walking into my studio and seeing a large whale. Once you live with a whale, you want to have it with you every day. It balances me.”
Similarly, there is a calm, meditative quality to “Exhale.” The two silhouetted human heads, stacked one above the other, rest on a mountain of gorgeous blossoms that seem to fill their lungs with the breath they exhale. We can hear the swoosh of their exhalation, reminding us to breathe deeply ourselves. “I don’t have a story for the painting,” Kane says. “I think of it as a poem; you can’t explain it.”
Ultimately, by inviting us to make our own connections to a painting’s meaning and the emotions it evokes, Kane gifts us with enriching and intimate experiences.
Cindy Kane’s work is on view at the Granary Gallery from August 7 through 20, along with that of Daryl Royster Alexander, Jeanne Staples, and David Wallis. Artist reception on August 8 from 4 to 6 pm. For more information, visit bit.ly/GG_CindyKane.
