It is a rare gift to create a feeling of relief, of spiritual up-lift simply by painting a vast sky above a sliver of a horizon. The new paintings by Jane Wilson at DC Moore Gallery are a perfect example of this effect. And despite the low percentage of earthbound elements in most of Ms. Wilson’s work, her art has a very distinct ability of grounding the viewer. It is as if she offers an open invitation to proceed safely upward, to leave your fears, your day-to-day responsibilities and move to a place where you can float and experience anything from the electric energy of a pending storm, to the serenity of harmless cluster of white clouds without letting go completely all ties and comforts.
This, I suspect, is achieved by a consistency of painting technique, combined with an array of colors that make the painted surface even and substantial - as if there is no significant divide between the features of the earth, and the clouds in the sky. And yet, these paintings are quite airy, and at times, very much like the after images when eyes have just been shut to a bright summer sky.
Most of all, these works are about the artist, how this marvelous, passionate painter has seen her share of challenges and changes since 1924, and how it all comes back to a central focus that is comprised of what is right in front of all of us. The basic, ever present relationship between earth and sky, and how these basic elements can combine to make your mind rest, your heart ease and your soul rise is the true beauty of these paintings. - D. Dominick Lombardi
DC Moore Gallery is at 535 West 22nd Street, 2nd Floor.