Artwork in KESHA BRUCE’s “Magic Spells & Reminders”

Don’t miss KESHA BRUCE’s solo exhibition “Magic Spells & Reminders”. On view at Morton Fine Art through March 17, 2016.

 

EXHIBITION LOCATION

Morton Fine Art (MFA)
1781 Florida Ave NW (at 18th & U Sts)
Washington, DC 20009

HOURS

Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 6pm
Sunday 12pm-5pm

 

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About Magic Spells & Reminders

Magical-Spiritual belief is at the root of every artwork I create.  “Magic Spells & Reminders” began as a series of reoccurring shapes which appeared within my daily drawings.  These shapes soon solidified and grew into a set of symbols that I began to think of as a personal, magical alphabet.

Influenced by the dry heat and jagged, volcanic peaks of the Superstition Mountains, over the last 6 months I have created a spiritual lexicon inspired by endless sunlight and expansive blue sky of my new home in the Sonoran desert. Unlike my past work, these new works aren’t necessarily narrative in nature, rather they are intended to act as catalysts and reminders to bring about change.

The symbols themselves do not have fixed meanings. In fact, individual symbols may have several meanings, determined primarily by their placement within the painting and their juxtaposition to adjacent symbols. Just as many spiritual paths regard “speaking in tongues” as being a private language between a believer and The Divine, I regard the symbols I’ve created as a subconscious, visual vocabulary that represents spiritual concepts and ideas that range from the concrete to the ethereal and intangible.

The paintings I’ve created for “Magic Spells & Reminders” are meant to act as visual reminders of both spiritual and creative intent, tools or reflection and healing, statements of personal power, and in some cases a call to arms.

-KESHA BRUCE, 2016

 

Magic Spells & Reminders marks KESHA BRUCE‘s 5th solo exhibition at Morton Fine Art.

 Click HERE to view available artwork by KESHA BRUCE.

Morton Fine Art

1781 Florida Ave NW

Washington, DC 20009

(202) 628-2787

mortonfineart@gmail.com

http://www.mortonfineart.com

KESHA BRUCE in the Washington City Paper

ToDo ToDay: Kesha Bruce, UltraFaux, and the NSO at NPR

Posted by Caroline Jones on Jan. 6, 2015 at 11:15 am

Artist Kesha Bruce’s work regularly features abstract portraits of unknown figures. Sometimes they’re called angels, sometimes totems. In her latest series, “The Guardians,” now on view at Morton Fine Art, she paints “spirits who act as watchers, keepers, and protectors.” The element of watching comes across most vividly in “Birbal” (pictured), a head in shades of red and black with two white eyes that appear to penetrate the linen on which they’re painted. Other works in the series are less representative, prompting the viewer to ponder how these figures act as protectors. Bruce’s combination of materials gives the pieces a tactile quality, pulling the guardians off the canvas and towards those they keep safe. The exhibition is on view Tuesdays through Saturdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays noon to 5 p.m., to Jan. 6 at Morton Fine Art, 1781 Florida Ave. NW. Free. (202) 628-2787. mortonfineart.com. (Caroline Jones)

Images of KESHA BRUCE’s “The Guardians (A Continuing Series)”

Please enjoy this amazing slideshow of paintings from KESHA BRUCE’s solo exhibition “The Guardians (A Continuing Series)” on display at Morton Fine Art through January 6th, 2015!

Contact the gallery for pricing and availability.

(202) 628-2787

mortonfineart@gmail.com

http://www.mortonfineart.com

 

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Shipment of KESHA BRUCE’s new “Guardians” arriving soon!

Here is a sneak peek of KESHA BRUCE’s latest works off the easel in her continuing “The Guardians” series.  Don’t miss out on these amazing new works due to arrive at Morton Fine Art this week!

The Washington Post’s critic Mark Jenkins wrote this about “The Guardians” in Jan 2014:

“Spurred by a vision of a figure she saw standing at the foot of her bed, Kesha Bruce has executed nearly 200 mixed-media paintings of creatures she calls “The Guardians.” The Iowa-bred artist, who lives in France, draws on African iconography for these pictures, some of which are at Morton Fine Art. Most of the figures are ghostly, often faceless, like things seen in a half-awake state…

..Yet the specters become palpable because of their hot, earthy colors and forceful brushwork. Indeed, the vigor suggests another tradition altogether: abstract expressionism. While the pictures are clearly representational, they’re also exercises in sheer painting. Areas of clean, bold color abut mottled regions; scraps of collaged fabric and textile-like circular patterns contrast the figures’ streamlined forms. Bruce’s guardians may be dream-time wisps, but her painting makes them solid and potent.”

Kesha Bruce, Untitled 2, 48″x48″, mixed media on canvas

Kesha Bruce, Altir, 24″x24″ Mixed Media on Canvas

Kesha Bruce, Luki, 28″x20″, Mixed Media on Canvas

Kesha Bruce,Saura, 24″x24″ Mixed Media on Canvas

Kesha Bruce, Elini, 24″x24″ Mixed Media on Canvas

Kesha Bruce, Untitled, 48″x48″, mixed media on canvas

 

Please contact Morton Fine Art for pricing and availability!

(202) 628-2787

mortonfineart@gmail.com

http://www.mortonfineart.com

KESHA BRUCE “The Guardians” featured in the Washington Post

Galleries Section, The Washington Post, January 3rd, 2014

by Mark Jenkins

Kesha Bruce

Spurred by a vision of a figure she saw standing at the foot of her bed, Kesha Bruce has executed nearly 200 mixed-media paintings of creatures she calls “The Guardians.” The Iowa-bred artist, who lives in France, draws on African iconography for these pictures, some of which are at Morton Fine Art. Most of the figures are ghostly, often faceless, like things seen in a half-awake state. Such guardians as “Thanos,” its blue head atop an elongated neck, evoke Africa’s traditional sculpture and decorative motifs. “Kiska,” its head apparently on fire, seems an outright hallucination.

Thanos, 24″x24″, mixed media on canvas

Yet the specters become palpable because of their hot, earthy colors and forceful brushwork. Indeed, the vigor suggests another tradition altogether: abstract expressionism. While the pictures are clearly representational, they’re also exercises in sheer painting. Areas of clean, bold color abut mottled regions; scraps of collaged fabric and textile-like circular patterns contrast the figures’ streamlined forms. Brown’s guardians may be dream-time wisps, but her painting makes them solid and potent.

Kesha Bruce: The Guardians

On view through Jan. 8 at Morton Fine Art, 1781 Florida Ave. NW; 202-628-2787;mortonfineart.com

 

THE GUARDIANS, a solo exhibition of new work by artist KESHA BRUCE. December 14th, 2013-January 8th, 2014.

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About the Guardians:

In the winter of 2011, Kesha Bruce awoke in the early morning hours to see a figure hovering silently at the foot of her bed. This brief moment of fascination, terror, and eventually wonder, has beenthe obsessive focus of her work for nearly three years. To date, Bruce has completed nearly 200 works based on The Guardians – a group of solemn, mysterious figures who act as watchers, keepers, and protectors.

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About Kesha Bruce:

Sidestepping the weight and implications of formalized religion forthe better part of her career, Bruce’s work has explored the fertile territory of memory, mythology, African-American folklore, and magical-spiritual belief. With The Guardians her work makes a shift towards questioning not only the place of spiritual practice in contemporary culture, but also the place of genuine spiritual experience in contemporary art making.

THE GUARDIANS Opening Reception and Artist Talk

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About the Guardians:

In the winter of 2011, Kesha Bruce awoke in the early morning hours to see a figure hovering silently at the foot of her bed. This brief moment of fascination, terror, and eventually wonder, has beenthe obsessive focus of her work for nearly three years. To date, Bruce has completed nearly 200 works based on The Guardians – a group of solemn, mysterious figures who act as watchers, keepers, and protectors.

Sidestepping the weight and implications of formalized religion forthe better part of her career, Bruce’s work has explored the fertile territory of memory, mythology, African-American folklore, and magical-spiritual belief. With The Guardians her work makes a shift towards questioning not only the place of spiritual practice in contemporary culture, but also the place of genuine spiritual experience in contemporary art making.

The show will run through January 8th, 2014