"Kennedy’s paintings might at first seem plainly apprehensible, but they present only the end stage of a long process of making, much of which is left invisible to the eye. Each one begins with unstretched linen that the artist dyes, stains, and draws upon with a range of materials both traditional and unexpected, ranging from sumi ink and markers to bleach and butter. Once Kennedy’s initial moves have seeped into the fibers of the cloth, she goes about disrupting what she has created, layering additional marks, erasing others, and throwing the whole thing into the washing machine, where dyes will set, bleed, migrate, or diffuse altogether, leaving behind just a shadow or outline of what was once there. She repeats the process as many times as it takes to arrive at a work that is “believable” as painting, maintaining an aesthetic at once deliberate and accidental. Her naming conventions, in which each painting is titled with a cryptic acronym, further underscore the sense of mystery, opacity, and depth central to her work." -Andrea Gyorody
Kristan Kennedy
I.R.P.T.C.L.Y., 2026
Ink, dye, sumi, bleach, butter on linen
40 x 30 in. | 101.6 x 76.2 cm
"In Sun" is on view through May 30, 2026.
@kristankennedy #kristankennedy #insun #noonprojects
Images
@joshschaedel 
