OUT & ABOUT KALEIDOSCOPE “I never paint with a plan, and the spontaneity and process are what I enjoy most. It is the element of not knowing, the mystery unfolding— that’s the exciting part for me.” —Lynn Alker
LY N N A L K E R
OPEN SPACES, 2022 OIL AND MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS 20 X 20 INCHES
THE PROCESS OF MAKING ART
BY CHARLOTTE RUSSELL
Spontaneity guides Raleigh-based artist Lynn Alker’s abstract paintings that are imbued with design, color and texture—a nod to her career in the floral industry. Alker began painting seriously later in life after taking painting classes with local artists like Peter Marin and Leslie Pruneau, where she fell in love with the process of making art. Her oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, paper and wood board document her intuitive process through bold applications of color, loose mark-making, and layering texture and color. In “Open Spaces,” Alker uses a limited color palette, leaving much of the canvas uncovered—revealing the marks, drawings and raw canvas underneath. Her mark-making includes symbols, words and inscriptions that are somewhat present but not fully visible. This allows viewers to find their own meaning in her work. View more of Alker’s work at lynnalker.com, via Instagram @lynnalker, in Bev’s Fine Art in Raleigh, and in selected pieces at FRANK Gallery in Chapel Hill.
132 | midtownmag.com
