“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” This famous quote fits January’s Art Exhibit by Kristin Shauck perfectly. Her paintings screamed talent as the viewer walked around the Art Gallery and got lost in her vivid colors and imaginative settings.
All of the paintings for display were of young ladies with whimsical backgrounds. Shauk’s inspiration as an artist is beauty itself. According to her artist statement, she is “hopelessly dazzled by the images of flawless female beauty that I see everywhere I turn.
“Concocted from many sources both real and imagined, they are re-born in paint,” continues Shauck, thus explaining the wonderful balance of the portrait-like paintings and the playfulness of the wonderlands in the background.
Shauck clearly has a close relationship with her artwork. As part of her inspiration, she tells of having adventures with the characters in her art: “We explore the rainforest, the riverbanks and sometimes, on the rare occasion when the sun is shining, imaginary meadows filled with butterflies and songbirds.”
Whether the sun is shining or not, the devotion to the young women and the short stories behind them is very evident.
“In my mind they come to life on my canvases,” explains Shauck.
Schauk clearly hopes that her paintings connect with her audience. She closes her statement by mentioning the possible secrets – good or evil – that her paintings have shared with others.
“What secrets do they whisper to you?” she asks, leaving her spectators in their own way to participate in adventures similar to the ones she shares with her art.
Another wonderful part of the exhibit was the Book of Secrets that Shauck left in the Gallery for her viewers to comment in. This book contains positive feedback and doodles left by admirers thanking her for sharing her gift with them.
The Book is an eye-catching piece, with a cover that has been completely transformed and been given almost a homemade quality. The blank white pages inside are filled with color thanks to the pack of markers left behind.
Any visitor to this exhibit could only feel gratitude to Shauck for not only displaying her art but also building a connection with her audience.
