Written by Andrea Glinn | liminal-space.org
Painter Gary Bowling is dedicated to creating impressionistic paintings of our region. While Monet’s Giverny inspires him, Gary’s style is a “modern interpretation of impressionism,” says Paul Dorrell, owner of Leopold Gallery in Brookside, who represents and sells Gary’s work. Like Monet, Gary paints landscapes—but his are as seen from the highway, often including skyscapes, sunsets, cornfields and the horizon. His landscapes are self-described “expressions of solitude”: they simultaneously make the viewer feel alone and connected to something larger.
Visits to each location prior to painting a scene are crucial to his process. Gary walks the landscape then sketches or photographs the desired view, which he uses as references when back in his studio to paint. Clients often commission him to paint their private property or a landscape that is personally meaningful to them. His paintings vary in size, but most are large enough to impact a space while still being easy to handle.
“Gary is a national success who happens to be a talented Missouri painter and a strong impressionist, which is exactly what I was looking for when I first met him ten years ago,” Paul says. He sells Gary’s paintings to hospitals, corporations, universities and private collectors all over the country, though most of his collectors are here in Kansas City.
Katherine Moes marries the functional with the sculptural, creating a spectrum of ceramic home goods ranging from everyday bowls to abstract art forms. Her work, regardless of use, speaks the same language and looks as though it would be at home in a desert wilderness or nestled into a coastal crag.
Her coil pot series features vessels of various sizes with a surface pattern that she creates by pressing her finger—or a custom clay stamp—into the spiraling clay. The result is a beautifully textured carafe that is both useful and beautiful, inviting your gaze and your touch. Another recent piece, the Ring Pitcher, developed fortuitously from spare parts lying around the studio. The basic form of a ring joined to a folded clay sack is simple yet striking, and it has been lauded by Katherine’s followers.
Several series in her collection are stocked and sold on her website and in retail stores across the country, as well as in London and Australia. Some pieces, however, are only available on commission, such as a three-legged, white porcelain bedside table that Katherine recently made for her husband.
Partnerships are also forthcoming. In addition to experimenting with furniture this past year, Katherine collaborated with Untamed Supply, a KC candle company, creating small vessels to house their fine fragrance soy candles.
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