Artist and Alabama resident Kate Gurganus will have a collection of her works displayed at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in an exhibition titled “Quiet Beauty,” from June 6-24. The featured art will comprise a variety of oil and acrylic paintings.
The “Quiet Beauty” theme is what Gurganus described as a “continuation and evolution” of her previous work, which across her career has sought to demonstrate the soft, silent beauty of normally unpresuming subjects like nature, people, objects and animals.
“Now more than ever, it seems we all need to connect and share common themes that bring us joy, nostalgia, and solace,” she said.
Her inspiration for such quiet but resonant art stems from what she called a “natural flow that is linked to a spiritual connection.” She cited a belief that humans are made to be creative in their own ways just like their creator, saying that she hopes creative inspiration doesn’t come directly from her but rather passes through her and into the reception of the viewer.
Gurganus previously worked in graphic design at a print shop, a position where she said there was not much of a creative range. After the shop’s corporation began outsourcing work and laying off employees, she decided she wanted to return to her passion for painting.
“I remember standing in the Highland Art Gallery in Lambertville, New Jersey, looking at a fabulous oil painting and thinking, ‘This is what I really want to be making,” she said. Speaking on the principles and skills she learned in graphic design, she continued, “I find it much more fulfilling to apply them to painting and bring attention to the things I love with the hope of connecting with an enthusiastic audience.”
During her time in Alabama, she has had her work featured in a wide array of group exhibits and has seen success, particularly in recent years, with her work being part of 15 different group displays since 2021. She boasts several solo exhibits, including one in Tuscaloosa in 2022 titled “Seasons of Peace” that was featured on the UA Medical Center Wellness Walls.
Gurganis is an associate member of the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society as well as Oil Painters of America, and she is an advisory board member for the Walker County Arts Alliance.
She encouraged prospective viewers of her work to go out and see the exhibit, since audience consumption and reflection on art is what she considers to be a pillar of an artist’s success with any given painting or paintings.
“The paintings aren’t finished until people see them,” she said.
The exhibit will open on Friday at 5 p.m. as part of the First Friday Art Walk in Tuscaloosa. Audiences can visit gallery hours between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays, with an exception for the Fourth of July.
