K E N I S E B AR N E S F I N E AR T
Strange Legacy
Please contact the gallery for images of the artworks included in this catalogue or for additional information. Kenise Barnes Fine Art offers complimentary in–home consulting, artwork on approval, shipping and delivery and installation services.
KENISE BARNES FINE ART 1947 PALMER AVENUE LARCHMONT, NY 10538 914 834 8077
Janna Watson’s paintings can be oriented in any direction. Please keep this in mind when viewing this catalogue..
Strange Legacy new work by Janna Watson March 1 – April 20, 2019
cover: Secrets Falling Out Like Ocean Clouds, 2019 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 60 x 60 inches, $9900.
detail: Five Voices Speaking At Once (Family)
Five Voices Speaking At Once (Family), 2019 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 48 x 36 inches $5700.
detail: Moody As Light
Moody As Light, 2018 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 36 x 36 inches, $4600.
detail: Secrets Falling Out Like Ocean Clouds
Secrets Falling Out Like Ocean Clouds, 2019 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 60 x 60 inches, $9900.
detail: Magic Exists By Squiggling
Magic Exists By Squiggling, 2019 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 30 x 30 inches, $3500.
detail: Every Exit Is An Entrance
Every Exit Is An Entrance, 2019 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 48 x 48 inches, $7100.
Statement: Strange Legacy “Janna, I’d like you to go to the back and paint the essence of a tree. Make it abstract.” When I returned to show him what I created, he used to say to me time and time again “It’s okay… but it needs to be wilder." I was eight years old and loved hanging out with my grandfather, Arthur Bonnet. He was a seasoned artist who turned away from landscapes in the thirties/forties and moved towards abstraction after studying at Pratt Institute, New York when Expressionism was making its way to Canada. I am continuously inspired by Arthur’s fascination to make clashing colours work. Through his lessons, I remember him telling me “I love things harmoniously ugly." These words have stuck with me throughout my practice. Painting wild and embracing “different” have always been my primary focus. As I work through harmoniously ugly pigments, I feel like I’m communicating with him by painting independent and bold brushstrokes suspended in time and space. When I feel a painting is nearly complete, I like to use oil stick and ink as the final step to help ground the work, and as a personal reminder to paint wilder! These scribbles are my exclamation marks that finish each sentence. Memories of my grandfather were so present while I worked through this collection. Arthur first taught me how to paint with watercolours and would buy me artist grade supplies (which I realized that I couldn’t afford when I was studying at OCAD!). To pay respect to his lessons, I incorporated lighter washes of paint across the panels. And after all of these years, I discovered that I intuitively prefer working on birch wood (rather than canvas) because the paint absorbs similarly to watercolour paper, and it highlights the material that it is painted on. In some cases, the washes are so thin that it emphasizes the woodgrain and flashbacks of painting the trees outback start flooding in. This new series holds a special place in my heart. This collection is dedicated to the memory of Arthur Bonnet who would be celebrating his hundredth birthday this year.
detail: Scissors Cutting Juxtapose
Scissors Cutting Juxtapose, 2019 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 48 x 36 inches $5700.
detail: History Is Both Concrete And Indecipherable
History Is Both Concrete And Indecipherable, 2019 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 48 x 48 inches, $7100.
detail: Depths Can Be Fun
Depths Can Be Fun, 2019 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 60 x 60 inches, $9900.
detail: No Words For Desire
No Words For Desire, 2018 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 36 x 72 inches, $7700.
detail: Heavy with Dreams
Heavy with Dreams, 2018 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 36 x 36 inches, $4600.
detail: Conditioned By Gravity
Conditioned By Gravity, 2019 acrylic, gouache, oil pastel, ink on birch panel 30 x 30 inches, $3500.
K E N I S E BAR N E S F I N E AR T Was founded in 1994 on the belief that art is essential We are a gallery and art consulting firm representing emerging and mid-career, investment-quality artists. Our program includes over fifty artists working in a variety of mediums. The gallery mounts more than a dozen exhibitions annually in our exhibition space in Larchmont, NY as well as curating exhibitions for outside venues. Kenise Barnes Fine Art is an experienced art consulting firm. We guide both residential and corporate collectors and work collaboratively with designers and architects to provide and source artwork for projects of all sizes. Our client list includes New York University Langone Medical Center, Montefiore Medical Center, Bank of America Art Program, Pfizer Corporation, Citibank Art Advisory, Vicente Wolf Associates, and numerous museums and private collectors. Kenise Barnes, director Kenise@kbfa.com Lani Holloway, gallery and sales manager Lani@kbfa.com B. Avery Syrig, sales, art handling, and logistics Avery@kbfa.com 1947 Palmer Avenue, Larchmont, New York 10538
914 834 8077
www.KBFA.com