• Kim Dorland: For Lori

    Date posted: July 14, 2011 Author: jolanta

    Kim Dorland’s “For Lori” is a collection of paintings and works on paper, each of which was inspired by his muse, and wife, Lori Seymour. Dorland began using his wife as a subject in his work in 2007; since then he has made, and sold, countless Lori-inspired paintings. The series marked a significant departure from the bleak suburban landscapes which comprised the majority of Dorland’s work at the time. However even within these paintings of adoration, Dorland has maintained a level of aggression comparable to that of a de Kooning woman—that is, until recently.

    Kim Dorland, Silly Smile, 2008. Oil on wood panel, 96 x 96 in. Courtesy of Mike Weiss Gallery.
     
     
     
    Kim Dorland, Untitled, 2011. Oil on wood panel, 96 x 96 in. Courtesty of Mike Weiss Gallery.

    Kim Dorland: For Lori

    Saretta Morgan

    Kim Dorland’s “For Lori” is a collection of paintings and works on paper, each of which was inspired by his muse, and wife, Lori Seymour. Dorland began using his wife as a subject in his work in 2007; since then he has made, and sold, countless Lori-inspired paintings. The series marked a significant departure from the bleak suburban landscapes which comprised the majority of Dorland’s work at the time. However even within these paintings of adoration, Dorland has maintained a level of aggression comparable to that of a de Kooning woman—that is, until recently. Dorland’s Silly Smile (2008) is a 96-by-96 inch oil painting of Lori sprawled out, or perhaps wrapped up in herself (it really is impossible to tell), on a bright green patch of grass peppered with dainty white flower buds. Pilings of thick peach-colored strokes in the center of the painting allude to the front-facing body of a woman. At first glance the painting invokes a short-lived cheer. Then the details begin to sink in—the singular emerald eye staring out from the figure’s face and the violent black slashes through the form of her body.

    Dorland admits that the earlier works within the series, like Silly Smile, reflect the agitations of a slightly younger artist, which often led him to air on the side of irony—rather than beauty—in his paintings.

    A more recent piece, Untitled (2011), depicts Lori in a very similar setting. However now, instead of flat and bright, the grass is deep and textured with warm yellow blossoms. Lori’s body is given definite shape—two legs, one folded under the other, a torso, and a chin titled lazily into an afternoon nap. The affronting peach is replaced by a natural flesh color and she has only the slightest hint of eyes. The piece is calm, restrained, and displays the maturing of an artist who is able to exhibit beauty without the mask of cynicism.

    Throughout the series Dorland’s use of materials has remained aggressive, which is what allows him to express his relationship with his wife on canvas. His heavy and intensely physical use of materials creates a dimensionality and expressionism compelling enough to push beyond the conservative limits of portraiture and represent the presence of a woman, as opposed to just her image.

    Kim Dorland attended the Emily Carr Institute of Art before going on to receive his Masters from York University in Toronto. Dorland’s work is included in public and private collections throughout the United States and Canada. He currently lives and works in Toronto, ON.

    Mike Weiss Gallery
    520 West 24th Street
    New York, NY 10011

    23 June – 27 August
    Monday – Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm

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