Sextet of Clowns

by Gail Kern

26"x40" • Acrylic $520.00

The distorted and macabre characters in my paintings represent archetypes and symbols in our society. The characters live in a skewed environment that shadows reality. I combine these elements to express my humor and sarcasm about aspects of our civilization that I feel are absurd, silly, stupid or vile. I paint over the frame to communicate that the concept of the painting is more important then the conservative aesthetic imposed on a piece by a frame. This also allows the movement of the lines and colors to radiate off the canvas to the viewer. Extending the “canvas” onto the frame includes the frame as part of the piece. The frame then becomes a doorway instead of a window to the world where my characters exist. I work primarily in acrylic on canvas because acrylic dries quickly to create layers of paint. The layers of bold color give my paintings vibrant movement throughout each piece which expresses my intense emotion about the subject matter.