Kathi Packer Statement 2025            

ANOTHER TALE continues my nearly 20 year interest in Africa’s Serengeti, now visualized as abstracted forms from nature and the rich hues of tribal of paper collage during Covid which in turn informs my invented imagery for the Serengeti sky, Kopjes rock formations, termite mounds and Black Thorn Acacia trees.

This exhibition features large oil paintings and several smaller works, all on cradled birch panels. The prepared surface plays a large part in my process. I stain and paint areas of the panels while selectively exposing the white of the prepared board. Lyrical and vigorous brush strokes offer a counterpoint to my geometric shapes. I use the whiteness of the panel as part of my palette which requires some forethought in the process. At the same time, I stain areas with vibrant color and allow each layer and stroke to be visible. This layering requires me to work on several images at once with a sense of immediacy in each stroke and layer. “Sometimes it means wiping out a day’s work to preserve a sense of immediacy in the painting. Other times, I leave the history to create visual depth.”

One of my favorite subjects is the Black Thorn Acacia. In bloom, this tree presents a dazzle of white cotton flowers. Yet, hidden amongst thick clusters of white are 4″ black thorns. Like much in this environment, danger is hidden to the uninformed eye.

Another source of inspiration are termite mounds. These enormous castle-like structures rise twice my height, in colors of red, black, brown and even white depending upon the adjacent soil. It’s a place where strangers encounter false entrances with no exit.