BEKI BORMAN
EARTH & SKY: DECONSTRUCTING THE LANDSCAPE

September 3 – November 22, 2019

Fascination with plains, farm fields, and skies make up the last three years of Beki Borman’s artistic practice. This appreciation of the land through her distinctive abstract style has transformed her canvas into geometric and dynamic planes, lines, and angles. Borman uses stenciling, scraping, pouring and a painting knife to make angular marks. This geometry works together to form one landscape, one cohesive vision of the Wisconsin palette.

Artist Statement

For me the landscape is the most accessible subject of the natural world. It has shaped our understanding of visual order. When I look at a landscape my mind instantly begins to evaluate its design. I lay out the big shapes, patterns of color, and areas of contrast. My interest is not in recreating the scene, but rather in learning from its aesthetic. I use a painting knife as my primary tool to create a textured surface that describes the vast color experience of a landscape from afar but up-close supports the objective nature of paint. Through layering I seek out a nuanced variety in mark making which speaks to the subtle experiences of space and light.

Artist Biography

BEKI BORMAN was born and raised in the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin. She attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design where she received her BFA in painting in 2004. Since graduating, Beki has exhibited her work both locally and nationally. For Beki's studio work she paints colorful and textural abstract landscapes in oil and acrylics using a combination of painting knife and brush techniques. Some of her influences include Vincent Van Gogh, Wolf Kahn, and Wayne Thiebaud. Beki works out of her home studio in Milwaukee. www.bekiborman.com