Abstract artist inspired by figures

Mt. Hood’s Fireplace Gallery is showcasing art by Kathleen Buck in an exhibit titled “Emerging from Abstracts,” which opened Tuesday and will last through April 29.

Buck describes the essence of her work as “either having figures hidden in or emerging from the abstract. You’ll see abstract strong structure underneath, and then a person or animal or object coming through the abstract.”

“Figures are what really inspire me, because I like having something connected to the background with lots of angles, and lots of movement, and although I can look at a landscape and say ‘That’s pretty,’ it’s almost all just horizontal stripes, and I don’t find that as interesting as the twists and turns of a figure,” she said.

“By ‘figure,’ I mean both people and animals, and maybe occasionally still life, like wine bottles or something. But I really want something that can make dynamic angles so that I can connect it to the background and have a very active, energetic painting.”

Buck said she started out painting figurative art, which is doing something in the environment, people, animals, or “capturing a moment of time,” but turned in the direction of abstract art because she could make the art more personal.

“A lot of people do sort of start moving (to) abstraction because you get to put more of yourself in the painting.  You get to really play with the ‘what-ifs’ and not be constrained by what you actually see,” she said. “It’s sort of a progression, I think, as you get better: You often want to play with becoming a little more abstract.”

Buck discovered her love for art when she was in college at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She was planning on becoming a lawyer or chemist but realized she enjoyed art and decided to go in that direction.

“I did take time out – I mean I graduated, half in art, half in government – went on, got a law degree, practiced law for a little bit, (then) decided I really didn’t like that,” she said. “I wanted to be an artist, so luckily circumstances were such that I could just do it.”

She started doing some sculpting, but quickly moved on to different media. “I think the learning curve of an artist is very steep, so that the thing you really like now, in two years, you’re gonna say ‘I’m way better than that,’ ” she said. She decided to move away from sculpting and focused on painting instead, because she could produce a lot more work in a shorter amount of time “and then get better fast,” she said.

“I started painting in watercolor, and then discovered acrylic, and decided that’s what I really like,” Buck said. “A lot of it is just trial-and-error: ‘What do you really like doing?’ And I find that I can lose myself in my studio for hours just painting, trying to create something that has beauty.”

Throughout her career, Buck has taken and continues to take countless workshops and attends many seminars to build her skills. She takes workshops with artists she admires.

Her work is not limited to painting on canvases. A couple of years age, she  attended a play and enjoyed the acting and story, but didn’t like the set. “I didn’t think the sets were very good, so I asked if they needed assistance,” she said. Her assistance was accepted and so she  is also now a set designer.

“I’ve designed about seven sets, and been stage manager a couple of times. It’s sort of connected because that’s almost like painting in 3-D,” she said. “You’re still trying to make an illusion of a completely new world. You’re just doing it with furniture, instead of with paint. It’s interesting how you can make the illusion of a room without actually having to build a room.”

Buck is a member of a few groups that help her grow as an artist. She is in the Watercolor Society of Oregon, the Northwest Watercolor Society as an associate member, and she also is involved in a few critique groups where members advise each other on their art. She is in the Painter’s Showcase of Portland, and is engaged with several galleries.

She also co-owns a gallery called “Currents Gallery” in McMinnville.

Buck is online at www.kathleenbuckart.com, and the gallery is at www.currentsgallery.com.