Kansas based artist Kristen Phipps creates paintings on paper that are segmented with a precision that gives them the appearance of collage.
Each piece is created on a single sheet of paper, forcing their fragmentation to be carefully planned and flawlessly executed. Each block of colour, pattern, or image is separated from the next by a clean, controlled line. The works are comprised both of imagery that is recognizable and imagery that is abstracted beyond recognition. The combination of the sections creates a new form that floats, island-like on the white page. Phipps' artist statement explains, "I am attempting to further challenge memories with color associations and broader distortions of arrangements by using the dark undertones of the intellect and limbic system of the brain. I want the audience to move with the work as if it was a passing thought. Pictorial imagery, both macro and micro, forces the tidbits to self-assemble into something new." The colour choices in each work are not only potentially emotionally significant, but also aesthetically considered and impressively depicted.
Kristen Phipps' work demonstrates a control of her chosen materials that is not only necessary for its success but is also remarkably impressive. Her simple, understated titles such as "Birthday" and "Pal" push her level of control from the page onto our emotional experience, bringing to mind every significant memory associated with each word as we contemplate it's visual cues. We love this work for its ability to create questions about our own experiences and memories of them.
