I had a large body of work in a solo exhibition at the Daum Museum last year, titled Instinct. Thomas Piché, the Daum’s talented Director and Curator, curated the exhibition, selecting thrillingly enormous paintings, freshly finished, that spoke to and against one another, to hang in the the immense and light filled galleries of the Daum Museum. Curator and Writer Barbara O’Brien was asked to write an essay about the show, and accepted. Barbara was in Kansas City reviewing another museum show, so we drove together from Kansas City east across Missouri hill country to the museum in Sedalia, Missouri..

I’d briefly met Barbara in the past, but knew and admired her from the exhibitions she had created during her time as Director and Curator and later Executive Director at the Kemper Museum. I considered my visits to the Kemper during those years vital to my work as an artist and would drive the long distance from my rural studio to the city to drink each one of them in, alone, so I could move as slowly as necessary. The exhibitions were deeply rich and varied, expanding my mind exponentially, creating fires in the source of my creativity. One show in particular composed entirely of Finnish artists, Dark Days, Bright Nights was burned into my being, and remains there still. My exhibition copy is tattered and now delicate.

I was dazzled by the opportunity to spend time with Barbara, and thrilled that she agreed to write about the show. She sat in the passenger seat with a staple bound, unlined notebook and a pen. We engaged easily in conversations about our surroundings: how the light hit the grasses and trees, clouds racing through the sky, the difference in light between Kansas and Wisconsin and the appreciation of open spaces. She created a safe and warm connection between us that stemmed from shared feelings. From this place, she learned about my practices and sources.

We arrived, Tom Piché greeting us, and Barbara thoughtfully walked through the two galleries, selecting five paintings on which she would focus. She sat quietly before each one, contemplating them before jotting down notes in her book, and once became emotional while looking at a painting titled “Swans” that was inspired by a Rumi poem. This was deeply moving for me. I felt the work was truly being seen, something every artist longs for. The respect and gratitude I had for Barbara throughout all these years, and the impact she had on my own work, made this extremely meaningful to me. I thought then that no matter what happened with the show for the rest of the year, I was entirely and completed sated and elated, and everything that I’d ever wanted for my work had taken place. I feel that now, as I write.

One week later, the museum, along with much of the world, shut down due to the Coronavirus. The galleries were silent and dark, no one walking through the exhibition Instinct, except museum staff. The show was extended through the end of the year, and eventually reopened with protective restrictions, but most of us were avoiding public places, and it was seen by few.

What remains is the catalog containing images of the show and Barbara’s essay, Falling-Away Spaces. The brilliant Claudia Marchand, who has designed catalogs with Barbara over many years for Kemper Exhibitions and beyond, spent a great deal of time getting to know the work as well as getting to know me. She thoughtfully and sensitively designed this beautiful catalog, with Barbara generously consulting. The result is this catalog titled Instinct, now available here.

With my deepest gratitude, to Barbara O’Brien, Thomas Piché Jr., Claudia Marchand and the Daum Museum of Contemporary Art.

Images below in order as discussed in the essay Falling-Away Spaces:

After Dark - In Spirit 66.75 x 136.25 in.

Music of the Inner Universe 77 x 240 in.

Instinct - An Essay by Barbara O’Brien

Archetypal Shapes: a look at the Botanics

The Rumi Room