Kathleen Ariatti Banton - Series Overview

home -> the artist -> series overview

"Old paint on canvas, as it ages, sometimes becomes transparent. When that happens it is possible, in some pictures, to see the original lines: a tree will show through a woman’s dress, a child makes way for a dog, a large boat is no longer on an open sea. That is called pentimento because the artist "repented," changed his mind. Perhaps it would be as well to say that the old conception, replaced by a later choice, is a way of seeing and then seeing again."
- Lillian Hellman

This painting, "Pentimento", represents the beginning of my walk, sometimes gallop with abstract gestures and lines, physical and emotive, written, spoken and visual.

"My ship always seems to weather the storm."
- "gestural abstractions" series

Oftentimes with the guidance of a broken compass, rich multi-layering of life experiences physically manifested in color, form, and movement are infused in the gestural abstraction series. During the process, a sense of struggle, a piling up, a loud argumentative conversation between myself and my work is ever-present. A wrangling of images, but not intent. Both the

"It's tough being different."
- "soul searching" series

painting and I agree that the work has a life of its own, emergent bit by bit. Joyful in its independence.

The White Light series reflects these concerns: a mindfulness of intuitive marks and the universality of man’s desire to make these marks, the human

"Try to go around it." - "white light" series

gesture. Very early childhood may be the only time when the artist makes marks for herself. A time when the heart, the spirit, and the mark are seamless. Yet, those marks yearn for the richness and depth of life experiences which only years can provide. A sacred history.

Addressing a heedfulness of the gradual loss of tactile sensibilities in today’s technological and simulated society, the "ges-tex" series expresses man's primitive need to touch and feel texture. Both the paintings and the sculptures invite the viewer to experience the fluid gushiness of the paint, the rough bumpiness of the surface,

"Take exit 7 or is it 11?"
- "ges-tex" series"

the hard smoothness of the polished aluminum and the sometimes quiet, but oftentimes spirited brush stroke. With the continual bombardment of technology with obsolescence in its soul, I wonder if my use of classic materials with its timelessness is a hindrance in the present art world. Nevertheless, the universe of art has room for us all. Always maintaining a noisy balance. A Luddite I am not, but I understand another’s need to rid oneself of these superconductor complexities.

"Tackling the sun." - "on the wall sculpture"

"On the wall" sculptures are time fusions of self contained movements. They are more like books to be read, a calligraphic and pictorial language rhythmically written across wooden pages, folded like an irregular musical accordion. A frozen handwriting sample.

"Following the wind"
- "off the wall sculpture"

- Kathleen Ariatti Banton

Back to Top of page