Underlying Patterns: Pastel Drawings by Jess Kilgore
Grand View Farm, Washington, Vermont, pastel
Jess Kilgore is a former architect turned painter currently based in Vermont. In his practice, Kilgore is inspired by the Vermont landscape, producing artworks that address the underlying patterns and mysteries in nature, using soft blended planes of oil pastel.
I really enjoy the way Jess approaches the classic landscape painting. The artist uses pastel expertly, blending shapes and planes of colour just enough to create a sense of cohesive texture, while still leaving some evidence of the artist’s hand. The resulting works have a wonderful sense of movement, each fine, hand-sketched stroke of pigment giving the impression of wind moving across a vast expanse. In images like Sunrise, the artist uses the smudging qualities of his medium to capture the appearance of sun rays breaking over a dawn landscape.
In his Barn and Covered Bridge Paintings, Jess showcases his skill with the medium even further -- architectural features and newly constructed buildings are rendered with smooth, clean geometric lines that provide beautiful contrast to the soft texture of their surroundings.
