WRESTLING WITH ANGELS, New Work by Kesha Bruce

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For nearly a decade, Kesha Bruce has addressed issues surrounding African-American identity and spirituality in her work. The paintings on paper in her Wrestling with Angels series hint at an even deeper and more direct vein of inquiry into the nature of spiritual struggle in immediate confrontation with the contemporary world.

Inspired by the biblical story of Jacob wrestling with the angel, the 14 artworks depict two figures, of indistinguishable gender, who seem to be engaged in either an intimate dance or a violent struggle. In one work, a nearly transparent and elegantly rendered figure draws the second into a passionate embrace; while in another image, an ominous, imposing figure seems on the verge of striking a fatal blow.

With Bruce’s attention shifting more towards the exploration of contemporary spirituality, not surprisingly, the imagery in Wrestling with Angels has become more abstract. Each work is more an evocation of a psychological state than an illustration of a biblical narrative.

In stark contrast to Bruce’s past work, which combined photography, collage and text elements, these new works show real evidence of both the artist’s hand and personal impulses- intricate patterning and ornamentation collide with zones of chaotic brushwork; fluid washes of color overlap areas of stark linear mark-making, and even the paper itself literally buckles under the weight of the frenzied movement. The end result is a compelling synthesis of color and gesture, deeply informed by narrative, allegory and spirituality.

Wrestling With Angels will be up at Morton Fine Art through January 2nd, 2012

LAUREL HAUSLER featured in DC Luxury Magazine’s ARTS & POWER’ issue

DC Luxury Magazine’s Arts & Power issue (December 2012)

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“It’s not an exaggeration to say that in certain circumstances, art saves you,” says collector Karen Conwell Smith. While in the midst of a heart-breaking divorce, the Federation of American Hospitals lobbyist attended an opening at Morton Fine Art and was captivated by a painting of an injured WWII-era nurse. “She’s a woman of texture on canvas: a caregiver in her depleted feminine state, gorgeous in her emptiness- I saw her and I wasn’t alone,” says Smith. When she confided in the artist, Laurel Hausler, the two discovered a shared understanding of the emotions captured in the aptly titled piece, “First Aid,” which now hangs in Smith’s bedroom. Every piece Smith owns evokes a memory from her past, a theme echoed by Charlottesville-based Hausler’s work.

Filled with ghostly characters rendered more sad than scary, her paintings are permeated by everyday emotions in a conscious effort to better understand things broken and unknown. “I try to see the beauty in torment,” says 34-year-old Hausler, a Virginia native who began pursuing art after a stint in New Orleans, where she cultivated a love of folk art. “It was liberating to realize I didn’t have to have a fine-art degree to make beautiful things,” she explains. The layers of paint on her canvases feature lines, scratches and rips- a symbol of the intense process that goes into each piece. Hausler credits Smith’s patronage with validating her work. “It’s a blessing to feel like your work is appreciated, loved and getting a good home.” (pp 98-99)

Read the article here: http://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?i=135819&p=100