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KRISTINA GARON
Momentum Acrylic on Canvas 41” x 31” Radiance Acrylic on Canvas 48” x 36”
Kristina Garon’s paintings have undergone sweeping
evolutions over the course of her journeys. Born and
raised in Lithuania, she attended the Academy of Art in
Vilnius, where a traditional arts education resulted in early
works that displayed the formalism of mythic subjects
and classical perspective. Already, though, her paintings
featured a dynamism and whimsy that tested the limits of
conventional composition. Garon manipulated physical and
temporal continuity, spaces bent, melted and broke, and
abstraction seemed to be a barely contained force lurking
at the canvas’s edges. In more recent works, Garon—now
based in Washington D.C.—has moved towards an abstract
expressionist style that often includes figurative details.
Swelling shapes and rhythmic patterns arc around silhouetted
characters, as colorful movements form familiar images.
Throughout, Garon deploys a playful, free-associative
approach, including small figurative details without ever
making them the focus of her boldly kinetic compositions.
Instead, movement, texture and color guide our eyes.
Alternating between thick and delicate brushstrokes, drip
painting and scraping, the surfaces of Garon’s canvases
take on a variety of tactile qualities, catching light, adding
hues and dimensions. Often, reverberating sonic patterns
create a musical resonance whose notes are the bright
colors of Garon’s palette. “I’m an incurable optimist and
this quality is reflected in my paintings,” she explains, “no
negative thoughts or depression here.” Indeed, her most
muted works still betray this irrepressible positivity. The
unrelenting optimism of her paintings is practically infectious.
Even in works dominated by sober blues—as opposed to
the recurring set of warm oranges, yellows and reds—Garon
creates limitless possibilities for movement. Forms cluster in
different areas, luring viewers’ eyes without distracting from
the larger composition. In any given painting, a single section
might feature a strict geometric pattern in small, precise
brushstrokes alongside a billowing cloud form of thick,
expressive color swaths. These contrasts of shape, tone
and style make her work energizing and optimistic, but also
refreshingly subtle and nuanced. Kristina Garon’s upbeat
style thrives on systems of juxtaposition and contrast.
Websites: www.kristinagaronart.com
www.Art-Mine.com/ArtistPage/Kristina_Garon.aspx
9 ArtisSpectrum