Kathy Buist - Listening to Nature

BuistKathy Listening to Nature

JUNE & JULY 2024

Kathy Buist in her studio. Photo: Martha S. Folsom

Galerie d’Orsay is proud to announce our Summer 2024 exhibition, Kathy Buist: Listening to Nature.

American painter Kathy Buist tells of her connection to nature, paying tribute to its vital energy in her newest body of abstract paintings. Her reverence for nature calms us. Whether peering from the water’s edge or glimpsing the most serene light in the sky, once again, Kathy’s atmospheric landscapes win our hearts.

Join us to view this brilliant, new series of paintings in person or online. We look forward to sharing this collection with you!

Biography

Kathy Buist (American, 1959) is one of the finest artists working in the abstract style today. Buist’s works not only appeal to the eyes, but to our memory and sense of passing time. Her works depict familiar landscapes of places we’ve been, or places that we’ve yet to go. There is a universality to her work that appeals to the color enthusiast, the lover of abstract subjects, and to the more traditional art lover who gets lost contemplating an alluring landscape. She seeks to capture the ethereal atmosphere of her surroundings and the ever-changing light of day. For texture and varying levels of depth, Kathy crushes pieces of shell and sand, working it directly into her paints. These natural elements imbue each piece with an organic energy that emanates from the canvas.

Kathy’s work has won praise from The New York Times and has been shown in museums and galleries throughout the country, including the Parrish Art Museum in Southampton, the National Woman’s Museum in Washington, D.C., Andrews Museum in Andrews, NC, and the Long Island Art Museum. Kathy has been a resident artist at centers in Vermont and Virginia, and her paintings are part of myriad prestigious private collections internationally. She also has the distinct honor of being part of Who’s Who in American Art.

Interlude II, 54” x 54”, Mixed Media on Canvas

Raising Morning, 72” x 72”, Mixed Media on Canvas

Beach Sun, 50” x 50”, Mixed Media on Canvas with 24k Gold

Before Dusk, 48” x 48”, Mixed Media on Canvas

Estuary, 30” x 48”, Oil on Canvas

“There is a generous amount of visual energy in Kathy Buist’s Long Island and Vermont scenes, so richly brushed they make the paint seem almost sensual...for each wide stroke abbreviating a unit of vegetation takes on a comparatively grand scale in this format.”

-Phyllis Braff, The New York Times

Luminosity, 48” x 36”, Oil on Canvas

2

Symphonically

, 50” x 50”, Mixed Media on Canvas

Cumulus Clouds, 36” x 36”, Oil on Canvas

“It has been observed that some of my paintings almost impart the aroma of the earth. Each has an underlying sensual quality which will emerge in some surprising manner to reveal the paintings’ essence. This comes from my intimate relationship with the subject matter.”

-Kathy Buist

Untold Story, 62” x 22”, Mixed Media on Canvas

Harmony, 12” x 12”, Oil on Canvas

Light Mist, 12” x 12”, Oil on Canvas

Breeze, 12” x 12”, Oil on Canvas

Touches of Light, 12” x 12”, Oil on Canvas

Walk to the Water, 60” x 60”, Oil on Canvas

Interconnections (detail), 60”

x 72”, Oil on Canvas

“As you glance around the canvas, she seems to be interested in creating the pure moment, something so beautiful it creates something new, something beyond itself, not a landscape but an anti-landscape”

- Bobbie Allen

Air, 48” x 48”, Oil on Canvas

Evening Reflection, 50” x 50”, Mixed Media on Canvas

“...I also explore the transformational qualities of light, using the subtle nuances found in refracted morning, afternoon or evening light to embody a particular moment in time.”

-Kathy Buist

Oceanside, 34” x 46”, Oil on Canvas

Easy Morning, 36” x 36”, Oil on Canvas

Atmosphere I, 50” x 50”, Oil on Canvas

Interlude XI, 52” x 52”, Mixed Media on Canvas

Reflections, 42” Diameter, Mixed Media on

Canvas

Hamptons.com

Interview with Kathy Buist

Sydney A. Braat: For those who are not familiar with your work, how would you describe it?

Kathy Buist: When people ask me what kind of work I do, I often say that I paint abstract landscapes. In fact, most of my landscapes are ethereal and earthly; I aim to transmit my love for the spirit of the earth, the vastness of its seas and the smell of its trees. I am fascinated by the way the earth breathes and rejuvenates itself. I strongly believe in the healing power of nature and that is a vital part of all my work.

There is no doubt for me that the beauty of the land is peaceful and powerful; it has a deep impact on our lives. I feel it also captures what is within the human mind and soul. When I paint, I embark on an exploration of a psychological and physical place that I find in nature. In natural spaces, I find a profound connection with myself. When I am working, my breathing changes and everything else around me dissipates. Then, the only thing that matters is the work itself in which I become absorbed and lost. That is why I would say that painting for me is a form of meditation.

Cascading, 50” x 50”, Mixed Media on Canvas

Change, 48” x 48”, Mixed Media on Canvas