with KATHY DAVIS and KELLIANNE MCCARTHY at The National
Notion Notion consists of works from Artists
Kellianne McCarthy and Kathy Davis. Through artists’ use of saturated hues, rich textures, and dynamic compositions, they evoke places that reside both within our world and beyond it—bizarre yet reverent spaces that defy conventional understanding.
Kellianne McCarthy’s approach involves building complex layers using oil, acrylic, spray paint, gold or silver leaf, and collage elements on wood panels. These layered constructions are then methodically sanded and further worked upon in a circular process led by intuition as much as deliberation. Her canvases emerge as dreamlike intersections between concrete reality and surreal imagination—places glimpsed out of the corner of one’s eye but never fully graspable.
Kellianne McCarthy flower quasar, 2023
Acrylic and gold leaf 6 x 6"
$400
Opposite page: Kathy Davis Space Jam the Painting, 2022
Kathy Davis’s non-representational style leverages her fascination with color, mark-making, and the freedom provided by acrylics and watercolors. Her works illustrate an unfettered exploration inspired by influences ranging from natural landscapes to urban graffiti. Her gestural brush strokes convey not just artistic technique but also an exuberant sense of creative liberation—a testament to her journey through various career reinventions. Their works synthesize elements of our known reality with the fantastical possibilities of parallel realms. The end result is an exhibition that invites viewers to inhabit these evocative spaces where normalcy meets the unconventional; familiar forms meet creative liberation. As you explore “Inviting My Notions to Come to This Parallel World,” may you find yourself immersed in vibrant canvases that challenge perceptions while celebrating the boundless horizons of creativity shared by both McCarthy and Davis.
– Show statement written by Hanako
Chen
Cover images, left to right: Kathy Davis, Roller Coaster (detail)
Kellianne McCarthy, quaser with garland (detail)
KELLIANNE MCCARTHY
Kellianne McCarthy works with oil, acrylic, and collage on wood panels. She is known for her saturated color palette and blend of imagery, abstraction, and pattern. She uses those elements to create spaces where the concrete and surreal meet. Influences filtered into her work include the graphic design of Peter Max, the altar pieces produced during the Renaissance, and the ungraspable vastness of the universe. She was born in Philadelphia, PA. She received a BFA in Painting from Moore College of Art and Design in 1992. She is a RN currently working in Philadelphia.
Kellianne McCarthy flower generator, 2021
11 x 14"
$500
Acrylic, collage, silver leaf
Left to right:
Kellianne McCarthy
Flower Supernova, 2022
Acrylic and spray paint
9 x 12"
$600
Kellianne McCarthy
quasar with garland, 2022
Acrylic
8 x 10"
$600
Artist Statement
“I’d
like to evoke a feeling of place where the elements of the world we know meet bizarre, reverent spaces that make dream sense. My working process involves building layers with acrylic paint, spray paint, gold or silver leaf and collage elements. Sanding and then adding more layers. It’s a continual process of adding, subtracting and reacting led by a combination of intuition, accident and deliberation.”
Kellianne McCarthy
A Beautiful Day in the Solar System, 2020
Acrylic, collage, spray paint, gold and silver leaf on wood panel
35 x 70"
$1,500
Opposite page, left to right: Kellianne McCarthy gamma ray burst, 2022
Acrylic and sliver leaf 6 x 6"
$250
Kellianne McCarthy a brain turning itself inside out, 2021
Acrylic, silver leaf, and collage on wood panel
20 x 20"
$800
Exhibition view
Opposite page, left to right: Kellianne McCarthy when andromeda and milky way collide, 2022
Acrylic and silver leaf 16 x 20"
$500 Kellianne McCarthy planetesimals, 2022
Acrylic, collage, and silver leaf 10 x 20"
$500
Kellianne McCarthy
If someone asks this is where ill be 2023
Acrylic, silver leaf, and collage
30 x 40"
$1,000
Opposite page, left to right:
Kellianne McCarthy love crumbs, 2022
Acrylic and silver leaf
8 x 8"
$400
Kellianne McCarthy
I leap into the moving sun, 2021
Acrylic, silver leaf, and collage on wood panel
12 x 12"
$600
Kellianne McCarthy
some bizarre shit, 2012
Oil on wood panel
30 x 30"
$900
Kellianne McCarthy this must be the place, 2023
Acrylic and spray paint
12 x 12"
$500
Opposite page, left to right:
Kellianne McCarthy star-eating black hole, 2023
Acrylic and silver leaf
18 x 18"
$600
Kellianne McCarthy the single most dangerous object in the solar system, 2022
Acrylic and spray paint
24 x 24"
$800
KATHY DAVIS
Contemporary abstract painter, Kathy Davis, has evolved as an artist through several career reinventions. In many ways, Davis’ paintings are the culmination of the years of training, experience, and inspiration she accumulated as a teacher, a designer and writer of greeting cards, and a business owner.
The sale of her art licensing business in 2019 has reinvigorated Davis’ passion for painting. Currently, Davis’ painting style is non-representational in nature. Acrylic, watercolor and collage are her preferred media. She is exploring new ground with her love of color and calligraphic mark making. Davis’ paintings have been described as fresh, expressive, thought provoking and uplifting. There is both a sophistication and casualness that give her work wide appeal.
As a lifelong resident of Horsham, PA, Davis has exhibited in juried shows at the Wayne Art Center, Coleman Fine Art, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Capitol Hill Arts League, Abington Art Center and American Greetings Corporate Headquarters. She is currently a member of Muse Gallery in Philadelphia. Davis’ work is held in many private collections in the U.S.
Watercolor on paper
20 x 16"
Repartee, 2021
Watercolor on paper
27 x 21"
$600
Left to right: Kathy Davis
Tilt-a-Whirl, 2021
$300 Kathy Davis
Kathy Davis
Roller Coaster, 2023
Acrylic on canvas
30 x 48"
$2,000
Artist Statement
“I seek beauty and joy in all things and hope to share that through my work.
For as long as I can remember, I have always felt the urge to create. After many years of working in the commercial design world, I am now immersed in painting in a non-representational way.
Abstract painting provides a new language for me, giving me a voice to express emotions and impressions of my inner and outer world. A sense of curiosity and freedom guides me as I paint intuitively and spontaneously with no prior planning. My painting style ranges from impressionistic observation to abstract expressionism.
I find inspiration all around me. Museums, galleries, graffiti, popular culture, and travels all excite me and inspire my own art. But the natural world is my most profound influence, filling my spirit and feeding my creative soul. Acrylic, mixed media, and watercolor are my preferred media.
A love of color is evident in my paintings, and my former training as a calligrapher has influenced the gestural mark making that often appears in my work. Freedom and movement in my brush strokes help to illustrate the sense of creative freedom and excitement I’m experiencing from working in a non-representational style.”
