Kate Harmon: "Rural Instincts" Exhibit opens at Brookline's Athan's

April 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Kate Harmon

“Rural Instincts”

For its Spring exhibition in Brookline, Athan's Café Art Gallery, one of the best venues for contemporary art in Greater Boston, proudly present Kate Harmon “Rural Instincts” a solo exhibition with 18 oil paintings by Brookline artist Kate Harmon. In this exhibition,  curated by John Quatrale, the artist portrays quiet landscapes that touch and move the soul. The public  opening reception is Sunday April 28 from 7:00-9:00 pm| The exhibition concludes on May 31, 2013 |  Athan’s Café Art Gallery, 1621 Beacon Street in Brookline’s Washington Square|Open everyday 8:00 am – 11:00 pm.  617-734-7028| www.athansbakery.com.

Curator's Statement:

This exhibition presents a cohesive body of oil paintings on the theme of quiet rural settings and landscapes. The artist’s objective is not to just to  “imitate what I see, but to capture the essence of what struck me about a scene or image to begin with.” She wants to “share with the viewer what I feel when, for example, the sun shines in a special way through the trees or the distant hills become a purplish blue.”  Kate is particularly attracted to open spaces, rivers and lakes and they show up in many of her country scenes.   This attraction derives from her upbringing near the Connecticut River in the Pioneer River and her family’s own history of summering along the Connecticut in New Hampshire.  Country and rural settings have a strong influence for developing a tone for contemplation as well as an appreciation of nature.  Kate Harmon has the ability to capture the essence of those tranquil scenes with just right amount of color, light and texture. Her paintings often include something man-made, like a structure, along side a body of water or a meadow to capture the full embodiment and feeling of rural life.  Though the scenes she portrays have a hint of human activity, Kate wants her paintings to be subtle, quiet and respectful of the environs. Above all, the paintings move the viewer to see, taste and smell the beauty that is ever present in Kate’s countrysides.

Kate Harmon resides in Brookline and maintains her studio in the historic Brickbottom Studios in Somerville.  She received her Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) from Tufts University and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  After a successful career as a teacher, school administrator and entrepreneur, she returned to painting. Kate has now been painting for the past 14 years and has participated in numerous exhibitions in the Boston area, most notably a one-person show at the French Library and her work is included in private collections throughout the Northeast and abroad.