Momentum - Acrylic on Canvas 41'' x 31'' Kristina Garon's paintings have undergone sweeping evolutions over the course of her journeys. Born and raised in Lithuania, she attended the Academy of Art in Vilnus, where a traditional arts education resulted in early works that displayed the formalism of mythic subjects and classical perspective. Already, though, her paintings featured a dynamism and whimsy that tested the limits of conventional composition. Garon manipulated physical and temporal continuity, spaces bent, melted and broke, and abstraction seemed to be a barely contained force lurking at the canvas's edges.

In more recent works, Garon – now based in Washington D.C. – has moved towards an abstract expressionist style that often includes figurative details. Swelling shapes and rhythmic patterns arc around silhouetted characters, as colorful movements form familiar images. Throughout, Garon deploys a playful, free-associative approach, including small figurative details without ever making them the focus of her boldly kinetic compositions. Instead, movement, texture and color guide our eyes. Alternating between thick and delicate brushstrokes, drip painting and scraping, the surfaces of Garon's canvases take on a variety of tactile qualities, catching light, adding hues and dimensions. Often, reverberating sonic patterns create a musical resonance whose notes are the bright colors of Garon's palette. "I'm an incurable optimist and this quality is reflected in my paintings," she explains, "no negative thoughts or depression here." Indeed, her most muted works still betray this irrepressible positivity.

The unrelenting optimism of her paintings is practically infectious. Even in works dominated by sober blues – as opposed to the recurring set of warm oranges, yellows and reds – Garon creates limitless possibilities for movement. Forms cluster in different areas, luring viewers' eyes without distracting from the larger composition. In any given painting, a single section might feature a strict geometric pattern in small, precise brushstrokes alongside a billowing cloud form of thick, expressive color swaths. These contrasts of shape, tone and style make her work energizing and optimistic, but also refreshingly subtle and nuanced. Kristina Garon's upbeat style thrives on systems of juxtaposition and contrast.

www.kristinagaronart.com
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Radiance - Acrylic on Canvas 48'' x 36''