by Ann Craven (Artist), Susan Howe (Text by (Art/Photo Books)), Richard Kalina (Text by (Art/Photo Books))
New compositions of earthly delights under the veil of night, from the painter known for her joyful depictions of birds, trees, flowers and more
This catalog, accompanying Karma's three-part exhibition of new paintings by Ann Craven (born 1967), surveys major motifs of the artist's nearly 30-year-long practice. For the first time, she has set all of her scenes in the darkness of evening, creating a consistent chromatic background that intensifies her always-vibrant colors. These oils of moons, trees, birds, flowers and deer constitute the latest chapter in her systematic catalog of what she terms "revisitations," each of which is also a reinvention of her subject matter. In this body of work, and across her practice, figuration morphs into kaleidoscopic abstraction and back again, each canvas resisting easy categorization in favor of pure feeling. In addition to a lush plate section, this volume features an intimate conversation between the artist and curator Jay Sanders, an expansive art-historical essay by Richard Kalina and poems written and collected in dedication to Craven by Susan Howe.