L ayering a variety of materials such as sand, pigment, and acrylic polymer, Jennifer Guidi creates enchanting, highly textured canvases that draw the viewer into their very center. Seductively textured with patterns of deep impressions receding into the work’s surface, Guidi’s paintings recall the impasto brushwork of post-impressionists such as van Gogh and Seurat. In 6:30am (Painted White Sand SF #4E, Light Yellow and Light Pink), the soft warm gradient evokes a spring sunrise or sunset. The horizon line anchors the image and suggests a minimalist landscape the viewer can immerse themselves in. Pairing the obsessive mark making of Yayoi Kusama and the rhythmic energy of Krasner and Pollock, 6:30am (Painted White Sand SF #4E, Light Yellow and Light Pink) transports the viewer into a sublime, meditative space. Deeply informed by the history of painting, Guidi has cited other female artists including Georgia O’Keeffe, Agnes Martin, and Hilma af Klint as major influences.

In mature works like 6:30am (Painted White Sand SF #4E, Light Yellow and Light Pink), her compositions radiate from a central point on the canvas – a breakthrough discovery which Guidi cites as a major turning point in her practice: “In my earlier abstract sand paintings, I made more random marks using sticks of different sizes. But I didn’t feel satisfied with the organic patterns that emerged. Everything changed when I fixed a center point and worked out and around it. The repetition and the movement began to take on a meditative aspect that, I think, reads in the finished pieces.” These elements also give the work a sense of dynamic energy, her compositions softly vibrating and humming as one spends time with them. Guidi’s highly sought-after paintings are held in prestigious public collections, including the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the Dallas Museum o Art; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; the Louis Vuitton Foundation, Paris; and the Rubell Museum in Miami, among others.

Artist

Jennifer Guidi