Though working big creates grandeur in paintings, it takes precision to compose eye-catching small works. There’s an extra challenge to making small work engaging in a large, airy space. Linda Kinnahan’s Watercolors, on view in Union Hall through September, plays with scale through combining big paintings of small things and small paintings of big things, highlighting everyday moments viewers might take for granted.
The exhibition comes both from Shelby Ciarallo and Kinnahan’s daughter, Chloe, and it’s clear how much care was taken with it. A standout is the inner corner of the space where Kinnahan has arranged miniatures watercolors. Though the paintings are small, they create an intimacy in that particular corner of Union Hall. Allowing visitors to see the miniatures from both sides of the corner wall immerses them in the paintings.
The paintings are soft and dreamlike and take realism beyond just what is literally depicted.At certain points, Kinnahan paints the paintbrush itself, creating a breaking of the fourth wall. Kinnahan has a sharp understanding of how watercolor shapes light. In particular, she has an eye for painting glass and other translucent materials. Kinnahan also has a real fortitude with painting plants. Her work shines best at portraying living things, perhaps speaking to how full of life her practice is. The paintings are soft and dreamlike and take realism beyond just what is literally depicted. Union Hall’s airy, natural light-laden space also provides room for the paintings to breathe. Sunlight hits them and allows them to open up in the entire space.
Her drawings of drawings show a genuine love for the practice and craft of making art. The paintings in Watercolors show the joy of making something, even just of making an arrangement in your own home. The paintings remind viewers that there is whimsy and pleasure to be found in producing the staples of everyday life. Making coffee might not be considered creative but it’s still an act of intention. Many of Kinnahan’s paintings of food depict garlic and onion—ingredients that are rarely consumed by themselves but are the basis of flavor.
Union Hall’s previous show, David Bernabo’s #0000, dealt much more in abstraction and used almost exclusively monochrome, so Watercolors is a stark departure. As usual, though, Union Hall delivers a well-crafted exhibition that brims with care and vivacity. Stop in after a drink or meal at Bar Marco, or consider celebrating a wedding or birthday party in the space. This is work that deserves to be celebrated with.
Linda Kinnahan: Watercolor will be on view through September at Union Hall (2216 Penn Avenue, above Bar Marco).
Emma Riva is the founder of Petrichor.
PETRICHOR 
Leave a comment