Kathleen Jacobs

“The landscape that surrounds us is the result of epic battles between the elements. Our ancestors recognized these forces at play and captured their essence in story and symbol. In almost every culture, the creation myth involves forces of nature, water in particular. Jacobs’ paintings recognize the unifying flows—wind, rain, clouds, sky—that connect the trees to the human experience.

Taking advantage of a unique setting—a former marble quarry, now reclaimed—the process of creating the work and the resulting paintings are juxtaposed in ECHOS. Jacobs brings the exhibit from the confines of a gallery into the space of the park. A constellation of canvas fragments draws the observer’s gaze from one place to another, creating a unique geometry, calling attention to specific segments of the trees. Jacobs collaborates with the trees, creating an outdoor installation. 

As Jacobs focuses on the microscale of the landscape—for example, tree bark textures—she reveals the macroscale of the dynamic flow of patterns that surround us. ECHOS brings forth a notion that resonates in many myths: everything is inter-connected. We are surrounded by the continually unfolding terrain of a creation myth.”