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THE BUZZ: Color Field Meditative Paintings by Maggie Tennesen at R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla

Eastern Sky  acrylic on canvas   48" x 48"
Eastern Sky acrylic on canvas 48″ x 48″

Convergence – Maggie Tennesen

R.B. Stevenson Gallery, La Jolla, CA
Thru August 30th, 2014

Article by Cathy Breslaw

When I look at Maggie Tennesen’s acrylic paintings I am reminded of Native American blankets, rugs or weavings. Her tightly painted grid-like striped patterns form energy fields of color that vibrate across her canvases. The process of creating these mostly large scale works involve painting hundreds, maybe thousands of individual thin strips of multi-colored paint with a straight edge, that often appear like strands of yarn. Tennesen also carves into her paintings creating thin crevasses between lines and curious geometric lines that often form shapes and patterns, lending a textural quality to the works. While standing at a distance, the viewer can see overall geometric shapes that build compositional devices into the otherwise obsessively controlled lines. There is also a meditative and delicate quality to the works that are further developed and enhanced by Tennesen’s choice and finely tuned use of color palettes. Tennesen’s work is reminiscent of color field painting as well as possessing a certain spiritual quality.

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