Lindy Chambers | Hidden From View

Patricia Chambers Hidden From View

OCTOBER 30 – DECEMBER 21, 2020 L AW R E N C E A R T S C E N T E R

transforms the pastoral into the extraordinary. Long before she puts paint to canvas, her artistic process begins with the simple act of paying attention. From the outside looking in, she observes often overlooked aspects of life to discover an otherwise unseen beauty in the ordinary -- in mobile homes, stray dogs and piles of trash.

Her paintings are vibrant compositions of color. She works in two distinct palettes, one bright the other subdued, each containing an incredible diversity of hue and value. Her insistence on variety furthers the idea that everything contains its own unique beauty, if only you stop to notice.

Chambers skillfully uses lines and shapes to both break up the vibrancy of the canvas and to imbue her compositions with a narrative power. The line work introduces a tension to the color as the objects of her focus appear to pop and the details of each scene defiantly catch the viewer’s impatient eye. It is in this way that her paintings elevate above mere depiction to offer a lesson in the art observation.

Each painting has strong elements of abstract and impressionist techniques, as well as drawn forms that are cartoon like in character. The blend of the two adds dimension to the flat surface and provides visual anchors in the midst of the cacophony of color.

Based in Belleville, Texas, Chambers is a Texas Big 10 for Art prize winner at KCAM, a past recipient of the Silver Award from Art Forward, and the Alexander Rutsch Painting Award from the Pelham Art Center. Originally she studied graphic design but progressed to taking classes at Glassell School Museum of fine arts, She also studied Bronze Casting at Al Shakis Foundry. She still considers herself self-taught.

Her work has been featured in galleries and museums across the U.S. including The Grace Museum in Abilene, the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder, Colorado and the Pelham Art Center in New York.

Rural Texas informs her work. Here, well maintained acreage yields to an abundance of trash, mobile homes and abandoned vehicles. Stray dogs wander the yards where goats are raised for food. Existence is transient here. Migrants leave cultural influences in their wake. These traces intrigue Chambers as do the forms and colors; brightly colored mobile homes, of acid gold and deep maroon, cerulean blue with quinacridone rose. Resilience and optimism conquer meager incomes.

Her work bridges realism and the abstract, the perfect foil for my subject matter. She represent trash monochromatically unimportant to the inhabitants of her work but still an integral part of the composition. She works in oil on board or canvas. She strives never to use the same color twice. Her work is not dictated by a color theory or particular style.

Sarah Haas, Author

ART IS FOR EVERYONE

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Located in historic downtown Lawrence, Kansas, the mission of the Lawrence Arts Center’s exhibitions program is to enrich the community by presenting the best in contemporary art and to actively engage audiences through multi-disciplinary exhibitions that question and inspire. To that end, the Arts Center features 20-25 exhibitions each year from diverse artists in all media, ranging from local preschool children to internationally known artists. Such richness reflects the community that the Arts Center serves. Many of the original artworks on display are available for purchase.

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