Lets congratulate OAL member artist, Kimberly Colleen Rhyan on her solo exhibition “Widening the Solstice of the Soul” at Columbus State Community Library!
Exhibition runs through February 28th, so check it out while you can!
Kimberly speaks about her work:
“My paintings embody many stories; each painting reverberates emotion through the exploration of relationships; my canvases continually contextualize and unveil the narrative, as it is perceived through the discovery of play. The act of painting is a metaphor for the complexities that have weaved in an out of my life, and yet, there is immense beauty somewhere between the intention and the outcome.
All throughout my life, creating art has helped me process life and progress as a human being. Ever since I was a young child, I have felt compelled to make art. My biological mother was an artist and I would sit in awe and watch her stucco everything (literally, our entire house). She was always making something out of nothing; she filled my world with her creativity, but she also caused my world to crumble when I was placed in foster care at 14.
Last year, my biological mother was diagnosed with brain cancer; we finally reconciled. As her final months and days passed, I realized that no matter the chaos, my mother was responsible for the cosmos of my artistry which inspires me to embrace life to the fullest. No matter the wounds of the past, I will always share my mother’s creative DNA. These paintings are the culmination of a year and a week of healing – to dig deep and accept that life is messy, but it is also filled with beautiful awakenings.
The creative path is explored by pressing found objects onto the canvas, either straws, credit cards, paint chips, cardboard, shaving cream lids, Legos, or marker caps; they are tools for building layers and revealing vulnerability; painting with acrylic is a process that allows emergent layers to convert into an arrangement of understanding; this all happens to be the ultimate manifestation of transformation.
During the process, I am exposing my own layers of identity as an expression of becoming more whole; this route to progress unveils inspiration to confidently capture the fullness of being known; these paintings are clothed with my determination to express life itself. Painting is a conduit to knowing and seeing; to approach the canvas is to reinvent time and overcome struggles of pugnacious resistance to widen the solstice of the soul and experience healing.”
Want to see all the paintings in this collection? Interested in acquiring one of her lovely, bright, organic artworks? Well take a look at the exhibition presentation
About Columbus State Community College:
Columbus State Community College is Central Ohio’s front door to higher education and a leader in advancing our region’s prosperity. Their mission is to educate and inspire, providing all their students with the opportunity to achieve their goals. They value inclusion, student success, quality, innovation, learning, partnership, stewardship, and leadership.
