Art of Alan Kitchen

I had the great pleasure of attending undergrad with a very talented artist named Alan Kitchen. While in Yellowstone this last week I took the above photo which reminded me of his work and thought I should highlight his art.


Alan made a small drawing last year in which he delicately drew a roadside memorial cross in pale graphite (the kind that are often put up at the scene of a fatal accident). He told me that he had driven by that memorial several times and never stopped to acknowledge it - and the drawing served as his stopping or stillness in that place. I think this act sums up a lot of what I find to be moving in his work - stillness, reflection, and emotional weight. I say 'emotional weight' with hesitation though because I don't mean to imply that the emotion behind all of his work is heavy or difficult - I would compare it more to a quiet Nick Drake song. His drawings and paintings often originate from memory rather than photographic references so they have a different quality than more literal representations might produce. Alan's works also utilize fall/winter Midwestern landscapes that I'll probably always have a soft spot for - here are a couple of his recent works;

Alan Kitchen, "Fairy Tale Moment"
2007

Alan Kitchen, "Are you still there?"
2007 Graphite, gouache on Japanese paper



Keep an eye out for future exhibitions of his in the Fort Wayne, Indiana area.