Soothing paintings awash in color, rich in material

 By Mary Lee Pappas / Star correspondent

March 12, 2010

Indianapolis Star

"Spitting in the Ocean"

"Riverbed"

"Shoreline"

I always refer to myself as a mixed-media painter, 'cause I can't just do one thing," says artist Kate Oberreich, 29, about the meditative paintings currently on view in "Undertow," her solo show at Wug Laku's Studio & Garage.

Contemplative and quiet in placid blues and whites, the 20 graphically abstract, landscape works demonstrate an ironic, uninhibited use of materials. Everything from rice paper, doilies, tissues, fabrics and colored pencils find their way into her pieces.

Upwards of 15 layers are fused together, with even more layers of acrylic paint, resulting in a rich texture and polished finish. Considering the arduous technique, Oberreich's works appear subdued and controlled.

Firmly painted horizon lines, black-silhouetted trees, and placement of the collaged elements are all carefully applied, even without an aesthetic goal in mind. Yet, the result has a visually comfortable appeal.

For inspiration, Oberreich says, "I like to go through craft stores and hardwarestores and find, like, weird stuff.

"I was walking through the scrapbooksection of Jo-Ann's or someplace (and saw that) they started carrying these papers," she says, referring to intricate die-cut papers that are bound into many of her new works. "I've got a stack of them in the studio that I'm trying to find the right use for."

Oberreich has maintained a studio inside the Stutz since 2006, the year after earning her bachelor of fine arts degree from Ball State University.

"Spitting at the Ocean," a piece whose subject is water, employs one of those papers, a swirly design that enhances the effect of motion in the painted waves. "It was sort of the right fit at the right time kind of thing," Oberreich says. Overall, it adds to the graphic sensibility of the works.

Many effects are purely accidental. "I'll do something, hate it and then have to cover it up with something," she says. "I never throw a canvas away because you can always sandwich more stuff on it. And, it adds to the character of the final piece."

Oberreich works on many of her soothing, minimalist pieces at once. Wug Laku's gallery provides an appropriately cozy setting for Oberreich's work, which touches on ideas of home. Though located in the Circle City Industrial Complex, a 13-acre, multi-use building, the gallery is welcoming.

Unlike most of her works, which have a universal quality, "Yellow House," a piece depicting Oberreich's grandparents' summer home that overlooked Little Traverse Bay in Petoskey, Mich., is autobiographical. An Indianapolis native, Oberreich says, "I used to spend every summer up there."

'Undertow'

» What: Featuring works by artist Kate Oberreich. » When: Through March 27. » Where: Wug Laku's Studio & Garage, 1125 Brookside Ave., Suite C7 (inside the Circle City Industrial Complex). » Cost: Free. » Info: (317) 270-8258, www.wlsandg.com.