Now in the Gallery through April 24

ArtsWest is pleased to feature abstract painters Akiko Kino, Jane Emens and Maxine Mattson for this exhibition. 

Akiko Kino’s atmospheric oil paintings encompass large fields of white with subtle colorful design components. Using a knife instead of a brush, she creates a dimensional surface.  Kino, originally from Japan, works to express ugoki (movement) and nagare (flow) in her paintings inspired by nature and dreams.  The end result is a serene aesthetic with a dimensional surface quality that must be experienced.  She graduated from Toita College in Tokyo with a degree in art and was mentored by internationally recognized painter, Masando Kito. 

Jane Emens builds up layers of materials, creating a textural surface that includes subtle colors and shapes similar to the surface of Lascaux or a weathered wall.  With yogic focus, Emens works from the inner place of non-rational quiet to find meaning for her creative endeavors and life.  Emens began painting at four years old, creating watercolors of the Vermont landscape with her artist mother.  She received her MFA in Fiber and Mixed Media Art from JFK University in California. 

Maxine Mattson has been painting for over two decades and successfully focused on colorful abstract encaustic work for the last six years.  Her textured surfaces of layered wax explore the ethereal quality of energy and reflect her interest in representing the passing of time.  A wonderful tension is created from the art’s vibrant colors with natural mixed media objects that emerge from the undulating surfaces.  Mattson’s art has been published, awarded and is collected nationally.