Artists: G - Z: Kiki Gaffney

The small panels and large works on paper are an extension of previous themes in my work including layered imagery, botanicals and patterns, and striking a balance between subtle and direct, carefree and obsessive.

I am drawn to the beauty and symmetry of patterns, whether they are simple dots, or the elaborate designs of toile or William Morris tapestries. The sequence found in these designs are in some respects reflective of the stability we look for in our lives – a map with detailed directions pointing us in the way we want to go.

The same shapes in decorative patterns can be loosely found in nature. By juxtaposing botanical renderings with ornamental motifs, I was able to explore both analytical and sequential accuracy – light and shadow; order in the mark making. Personally I find this gratifying, as there are so many other forces in life that cannot be controlled.

Patterns, ornamental and otherwise, are ingrained in our lives, so much so that we often times do not even notice them anymore. In this body of work I wanted to highlight the beauty of configuration and decoration, to give these concepts space for contemplation.

4 panels - acrylic, graphite on plexiglas

These three works continue the above proposition, but this series has the added element of a frame. Usually when we think of frames, it is the subject matter that the frame contains which is most significant, and in many ways precious. In these pieces the subject is removed, leaving a void. More attention can then be placed on what surrounds this void, and the viewer has an opportunity to use his or her imagination to fill the space, or not.

Kiki Gaffney graduated at Loyola College, Baltimore, (BA) and at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, (MFA). Gaffney exhibited recently with Julie Nester Gallery, Park City, UT; Chriutys Art Center, Sag Harbor, NY; Globe dye Works, Philadelphia, PA; Immaculata University, Immaculata, PA and more. In 2010, a residency at Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Amherst, VA. Her works are in various public and private collections.