Abstracted Dancer, oil

Our featured artist for today, Jeanie Gebhart, paints in oils using a palette knife as her primary tool. This somewhat unconventional painting technique results in images that are an interesting visual leap away from traditional brushwork.

When I look at Jeanie’s abstract works I find I am reminded of seeing an image through a foggy window, or through water. Light and shapes are refracted in such a way that even knowing these are abstractions I can see a myriad of possible images coming to the surface, and then sinking away into the various pigments and layers of paint. The hard edge of a palette knife leaves individual strokes of paint that have an almost geometric quality to them.

Abstracted Flower in Red Pot, oil

Jeanie’s palette knife paintings are very focused in the way that they use colour – often a painting will favour a single colour in various tints, with one or two moments of a complimentary colour making a small appearance. This creates a nice touch of depth in paintings that may seem simple at first glance.

Alone with Juice and Flower, oil