Please join us at the Jessie Edwards Gallery for the latest exhibition featuring new work by Kate Knapp. The show runs from July 25th – August 5th.
The vibrancy and richness of colors in these latest paintings by Kate Knapp truly stand out and capture the essence of Block Island in all her glorious weather. Kate is inspired by what she’s looking at and paints what she sees. Because she works en plein air, what she’s viewing and when she’s viewing it can be different based on the weather. These newest works capture the moodiness and beauty of the recent spring and last autumn: two seasons remembered for their wind, stormy skies and ethereal light. Each of these pieces captures a mood. They are elemental, evocative and emotional. The artist has truly captured a felt sense of time and place that those of us who have been here long enough remember. Many of these paintings feel like a step back in time, to a Block Island at its best – a place of shared joy, community and tranquility.
Looking at this latest body of works, one thing which stands out is the color palette. We can see this perfectly in ‘Cooneymus Cottage’, an oil on canvas piece, which presents us with a vision of an autumn afternoon in all her beauty. The artist has captured so perfectly the depth of color which can stop us in our tracks, giving us cause to pause a moment and appreciate where we are as we wander around the many tucked away places which wend their way over this land.
‘SE Light, Stormy Autumn View’ is another painting in which the artist magically captures the vibrancy of the scene. We know it is fall by the rich, yet subdued, colors. Goldenrod captures our focus but only for a minute before we explore the rest of the painting. Our eye finally finds the stairway, subtly tucked in amongst the bluffs. This is such a special view, especially as the days shorten and the weather cools.
‘Noon Light on the Water, Mohegan Bluffs’ is simply sublime. The calm portrayed in this painting infuses the viewer at the same time as it keeps us on edge a bit – the storm approaching from the southeast helps us to appreciate the moment because we know how fleeting views like this can be, especially living on an island.
The Block Island that Kate Knapp paints is quaint and rustic and humble. These feelings are forefront when we look at ‘New Harbor View’ with its portrayal of the quiet and peaceful Hog Pen, dotted with boats and buildings with the iconic Narragansett Inn in the background, reminding us of a different and quieter era.
Stone walls cover this land and are such a part of the landscape we can forget how integral they are to our memories and experiences here. They provide a backdrop, or foreground, to so many of our beloved images and vistas on this island. In ‘Rodman’s Hollow Spring View’ Knapp beautifully creates a stunning foreground of rocks, capturing light and shadow and depth, to give us a jumping off point in which to explore the fields and ocean beyond. We love this view, looking out over the only place on the island which is below sea level. There are so many stories told of this place and in this painting we get to soak in the serenity of the view while remembering our relationship to it.
Please join us, in person upstairs in the Post Office Building at Old Harbor or online at www.Jessie.EdwardsGallery, to see these 13 imaginatively rendered scenes of this beautiful island. The artist’s love of this place shines through each and every one of them and we can’t help but be buoyed by Kate’s latest work.
The Gallery is open everyday, except Tuesday’s, from 10am – 5pm (4pm on Sunday’s) and by appointment at other times.