I was recently invited to participate in an exhibit at the Loveland Museum, entitled Artists Visage Artists, and was charged with creating a piece interpreting the work of a fellow artist. Curator Maureen Corey paired me with Jennie Kiessling to convey each other’s work through our own vision. Jennie and I have connected aesthetically and become good friends over the past several years, so I almost instantly knew the direction I wanted to go with this piece.

After spending much time immersed in images of Jennie’s work and a Zoom discussion regarding our thoughts as to what we would create, I made objects in my studio and then spent time out on a swath of Wyoming grasslands to create a series of installations. The image above is the one I chose to show in the exhibit.

This experience has been very emotional and moving for me in ways too personal to reveal at this time, but it’s also been liberating and motivating. This is my statement for the exhibit: “Through a dedicated practice in abstraction, Jennie Kiessling’s work reflects her impeccable study and masterful execution of line. Her exploration in text of the immigrant experience with her Italian family history creates a line through humanity that is specific to Jennie but resonates with many, connecting generations and cultures.”