FEATURED ARTISTS AT THE FRANCIS
Bringing Portland’s Best to You
Portland has such a vibrant art community, and we’ve chosen to showcase some of the local talent here, in Maine, through a rotating gallery in common spaces at The Francis. Each exhibit will either feature an artist or subject from Maine.
Kyle T. Randall
ARTIST STATEMENT
Through my work, I often explore spaces and the way they are used. During my process I reflect on how we shape our spaces to suit our needs, and in turn, our spaces shape us. In my tenure at USM I made a series of three paintings of my studio space inspired by Maine artist Gideon Bok. These paintings became a touchstone for me. This was a studio space that had come to mean more to me than the physical space. It meant learning, long hours of hard work, practice. It meant community, a group of people who I trusted, who I could bring my work to and receive honest feedback. From these three paintings, I have gone on to make countless drawings and paintings of kitchens, living rooms, exterior house portraits, and city studies. I love looking at collections of things and how we use them both for their utility but also as a method of self-definition. My body of work has been an exploration of these ideas.
Most recently I have been focusing on a series of watercolor illustrations of Portland exteriors, while simultaneously developing a collection of acrylic paintings of my interior studio space. In recent months, this exploration of interior/exterior has become a rigorous investigation of what space means during a pandemic. How do we change a space that we cannot leave? How do we utilize outdoor spaces? How do we make meaning through our spaces? These are some of the questions that my studies ask.