Daniel Ketelhut Solo - "Shifting Realities"
"Shifting Realities" by Daniel Ketelhut explores immediacy, process, and emotional rawness — presenting painting as an ongoing, unfinished act rather than a fixed result.
The exhibition will be on view from February 8th - April 26th. Join us for the reception on Sunday, March 8 from 5-8pm, held in conjunction with a special exhibition “Under One Sky” a juried show of Indigenous Artists across the nation. Collectors and guests will have the opportunity to enjoy both shows in one inspiring evening. Wine proceeds will also benefit a local nonprofit.
From the Artist:
"This exhibition presents a collection of ten new paintings displayed alongside selected pre-existing works, offering a dynamic dialogue between immediacy and refinement. Central to this presentation is the exploration of process, immediacy, and raw emotion. The new pieces serve as sketchy, immediate counterparts to their larger, more polished brethren, emphasizing a continual state of becoming.
Each artwork in this series was created using a consistent process that begins with scribbles made in ballpoint pen on paper. These spontaneous marks are then refined into evocative abstract shapes and organic forms, resulting in imagery that is mysterious and fluid. Over this pen-and-ink foundation, transparent glazed layers of oil paint are applied, interspersed with more detailed, opaque passages. The choice of ballpoint pen as the initial medium lends a sketchy and immediate substructure to each piece, allowing for a rawness that contrasts with the layered oil paint. The use of newly available drawing oil sticks helps to blur the boundaries between traditional painting and drawing, aligning with my ongoing interest in a more immediate and fluid artmaking experience. This combination of materials and techniques lends itself to a sense of unfinished activity and creates a tension between drawing and painting that is integral to the meaning of the work.
Emotionally, I hope these works evoke feelings of immediacy, mystery, and the sense that an expectant energy or activity is afoot. The abstract, organic forms invite a sensitivity to uncertainty and fluidity, encouraging an acceptance of existence as an ever-changing, unfixed experience. Through this, I aim for the audience to engage with the notion that nothing in our experience is ultimately permanent or resolved. This exhibition is intended for any viewer willing to take the time to immerse themselves in the works. My hope is that the experience will inspire a heightened awareness of the inherent uncertainty and fluidity of life and foster comfort with the idea that experience itself is never fixed or complete.
The physical nature of these paintings, done on paper, presented a challenge in terms of display. To address this, each work was mounted on quality wood panels, lending them a rigid and attractive structure that supports their presence within the exhibition space.
In creating this collection at this point in my career, I have finally realized a long-held ambition to paint on paper in a manner that embraces the immediacy and spontaneity traditionally associated with drawing. The unique combination of paper, ballpoint pen, oil paint, and oil sticks has made this possible, culminating in a body of work that bridges and challenges conventional boundaries between drawing and painting."
