Kathy Halper

Evanston, Illinois

Thornton Wilder once asked, “Does anyone ever realize life while they live it… every, every minute?” The answer is, of course no, but in this year of the pandemic I am finding it easier to try. 

My life has become very small and given me an opportunity to think about the moments that make up a day. My dog barking, the houses we walk past, the knotty tree I didn’t notice yesterday. 

Painting these moments force me (and I hope the viewer) to “realize life”.

The scenes are rendered not as they are, but as they appear in my mind with flattened shapes, distorted perspectives, and romanticized palettes. While the work is primarily oil painting, I have pulled elements from past series to clarify my voice. This includes cardboard layers, outlined shapes, and influences of outsider art to infuse the scenes with my humor, humanity, and warped look at the world.