Keystone gallery is pleased to present Present Sense, an exhibition of new work by Liz Iracki. The work will be on display from June 18 through June 27, 2022 with an opening reception June 18th from 5 to 8 pm. This is Liz's first solo show at the gallery.
Present Sense is a selection of mixed media paintings that draw from the artist's solitary studio practice reconstructing her observations and encounters from the outside world into visual expressions on canvas. Liz's process of layering washes of pigment and her use of precise instruments to intersperse sketched suggestions of landscapes and figures results in nuanced, richly narrative environments. As a result, the pencil and ink scribbles and washes of paint colors offer viewers the opportunity to individually interpret the reveals of shape and develop a narrative in their own present moment.
The works in this series were created between 2019 to 2022 in Los Angeles, California. During the early stages of this period, the artist's career and personal travels took her across the American southwest and to Hawaii. She recognizes in her work the influences of the flora, fauna, and landscapes that she encountered in locales including La Jolla, Scottsdale, Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, Santa Fe, and Waikiki as well as the emotional energy and bustle of travel. In 2020, the artist found herself in stillness and reflection of those times, conjuring memories and bringing her longing and distance from others to her expressions on canvas. Liz's acceptance into the Keystone Art Space collective in 2021 provided her a studio of her own and a nourishing creative community. Here, she presents an evolved body of work reflecting the reemergence of society and our literal and metaphorical unmasking.
"My move to LA in 2018 was a courageous personal experiment. En route to a milestone birthday, I left behind the familiarity and community of Colorado for a different kind of life, settling into the sprawling urban metropolis with seven-lane freeways and constant traffic, annoyances of city noise and blight, redeemed by the smells of bougainvillea and glimpses of ocean waves, abundant farmer's markets, and interactions with creative humans enlivening the city and hustling for their dreams. The work that I have created since this time is a visual representation of the period, how I experienced it personally and as a global citizen in an era of pandemic and monumental change in our political, social, and environmental climate. I prefer not to prescribe what others should experience in my work, yet I delight to hear observations."