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Nancy Kembry Artist Statement The essence of being is in the act of having compassionate understanding; a simple notion that encompasses all that is social and political within the sphere and limits of one's own environment and personal experiences. My work is an act of being in the world; a celebration of all and nothing. During the last 20 years my work has been a personal journey exploring my strong and passionate affinity for the still life. For me, nature embodies both a spiritual and physical expression of the extraordinary and commonplace. I paint nature, not as an exact imitation of its external appearances, but through it's inherent somber and tranquil qualities. I use these attributes of nature to create a contemplative mood that invites thought and reflection. I identify closely with the materials I use and the compositional devices I employ; structural fragmentation, glazes, three-dimensional and two-dimensional space, and colour. I use these materials and devices for their inherent natural and abstract characteristics, sensual and textural aspects, and for their symbolic qualities. In essence my goal is to make works that simply dissolve the line between emotion and intellection, between art and nature, and transcend to a state of being, of pure existence for its own sake; for its own beauty and pain; for its own vulnerability and timeless qualities. My aim, my desire, is to create paintings that reflect both on history and on the immediacy of today through subtle and abrupt changes that reveal the dichotomy of what is presented and what is understood. Over the past few years I have turned to the works of artists such as Chardin, Morandi, de Chirico, Magritte, Anselm Keifer, Agnes Martin and Eva Hesse. It is the mood, emotion and intellect of their works that I respond to. Keeping within the spirit of the above-mentioned artists I create works that are evocative and non-moralizing. My recent work is minimal in nature and structure. The simplified perspective of the canvas setting enables me to delve deeper into the fragile drama of both drawing and painting. I refer to these new works as "my poetic-philosophical excursion into the realm of lust and austerity; the naked presence of Life amongst the Broken Rhythm and Voids of Architectural Grandeur... Beautiful Anxiety". 1999
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