Visitors to Gallery 208 will be nothing short of astonished. While viewing the
oil paintings by Phillip Kidd, you are going to have to control your impulse to
peel the tape off the surface of one of Kidd’s oil paintings. You’re going to feel
confi dent that a card from the game of Monopoly on the surface of a different
painting could also be removed from the painting’s surface. Then you discover
it’s all an illusion; Kidd is a painter of hyper-realism and every object in the
painting has been meticulously painted to appear as if it actually exists.
Kidd’s style of hyper-realism is not
something we often see in our local and
regional art venues. Known as Trompe
l’oeil (“fools the eye”), Kidd brings a
unique sense of humor to his paintings;
small in scale, his skill level is extremely
high — looking at the paintings you feel
comfortably uncomfortable. He stimulates
our imagination and earns our respect for
the talent it takes to create works in that
particular genre of painting.
In one of his paintings, a crimped tube
of Winsor Newton flake white oil paint
is held to a vertical surface by a piece
of masking tape. In another painting a
Twining bag of tea is taped to a caulk board
with a piece of masking tape; a line drawing
of a cup is under the tea bag and appears
to be drawn with chalk. Everything I have
mentioned is an illusion, painted in oil.
In Kidd’s paintings the size of the
object(s) is correct, he pays close attention
to every minute detail; the fine distinction
of light and color are skillfully incorporated
to create an illusion of the threedimensional.
He is part of a tradition,
the pursuit of realism in art, which has
dotted the western tradition, beginning
with the Romans. His style is a genre that
has continued to be practiced since the
Renaissance. Today this style of super
realism has been influenced by a modern
quest — a preoccupation with perceptions
in art and painting.
There is nothing traditional about the way Kidd learned to paint in this style.
His father chose a career with the U.S. Air Force so the family did a great
amount of traveling. While his father was stationed at Maxwell Air Force Base in
Montgomery, Ala., Kidd attended high school in Montgomery. It was during his
last year in high school that a field trip to an art museum infl enced his choice
about his own career.
He shared the following with me: “It was during my senior year, we took a
field trip to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and I saw a Trompe l’oeil
exhibit featuring all the best of today’s artists. I had never heard of this style
and never knew people were doing this or even capable of it. It hit me that
this was what I had been working towards with my pursuit to make my work
look realistic.”
The problem for Kidd was that most art schools or universities do not teach
the techniques he sought to learn. So, starting in high school through his
education in the arts at Auburn University at Montgomery, Kidd taught himself
by study, trial and error how to paint in the Trompe l’oeil style. After seeing a
work by Anthony Waichulis at the Montgomery Museum exhibit, he emailed
him occasionally to ask questions about techniques. Kidd noted: “I maintain this
communication with Waichulis today. I am also still inspired by the old masters
and the history of art.”
Kidd doesn’t use any technology in his paintings, no transfer techniques. His
panels are sanded and sealed as smooth as glass before he begins painting. As
Kidd says, “There are no tricks to what I’m doing; it’s just brushes in oil on
panel. The ideas in my paintings are simple and sometimes comical; I paint them
simply for the joy of the fi nished product.”
The Leonard McLeod Gallery is hosting a totally different type of exhibit.
Original colorful drawings by Rose-Ann San Martino were created to illustrate
a recent publication by Sharon Murphy Yates: The Journey from Oz: Seven Steps
for Finding Your Way Back to Places You Never Intended to Be.
According to Yates, “The Journey from Oz is a simple message of hope and
encouragement for anyone confronting challenges
in life. With warmth and understanding, it offers
simple supportive advice to guide readers toward
help and healing one step at a time.”
Knowing the art work of San Martino, Yates felt
she was the perfect artist to illustrate the book.
San Martino took the challenge with
confi dence and vigor and felt Yates’ writing was
very visual.
San Martino noted an example: “When I
read, ‘Well I’m out of bed and I have clean
underwear’ on is something I can instantly
visualize. As well, ‘Figure out what you need and
leave the crap behind’ is another example of the
visual. For me it easily translates into a suitcase
and packing; but what is it in your life journey
you need to leave behind — anger, an attitude
of pleasing everyone, lies, — these are things
that weigh you down.”
Although the book is serious and therapeutic,
the combination of easy reading and the
illustrations make it highly user-friendly. Yates
explains: “I wrote the book for adults who might
be going through diffi cult situations, but never
really thought about targeting any particular age
group. No matter your age, everyone can use a
little guidance and encouragement at different
times in their lives.”
San Martino’s illustrations reflect her fine
art painting style — colorful and the use of
repeating patterns to create texture, meaning
and rhythm. She reflected on her illustrations by
saying, “I think the illustrations reflect what is
said in the book in a cheery, colorful, literal way, but they also invite you to look
a bit closer. The lack of depth, bright colors and purposeful naiveté are to remind
the readers of childhood illustrations they might have read, pictures they might
have drawn. I think the decorative design patterns tie the illustrations together
and keep the mood from being too serious.”
The project took the artist and writer three years to complete. Both had input
as to the layout of the book and the details for each section. San Martino did
sketches, cropped and experimented with colors; Yates was there to give her
personal feedback about each sketch.
“Rose-Ann and I talked about the book and the message I wanted to convey,
she read the text and then brought me ideas. She made it really easy because
she had a way of taking my ideas and adding elements that made them better.
Sometimes (like in the illustration about packing) she would refl ect the ideas in
the text in ways I hadn’t thought about. I think that creativity added a lot to the
way readers can connect with the words,” said Yates.
Visitor to the Leonard McLeod Galley at Up and Coming Weekly get to see
both exhibits and will meet Phillip Kidd, Rose-Ann San Martino and Sharon
Yates at the opening reception on July 12 between the hours of 5 and 7 p.m. It’s
free to the public, so everyone is invited. The exhibit will remain
in the galleries through late August. For information call Up and
Coming Weeklyat 910-484-6200.
Photo: The hyper-realism of Phillip Kidd brings a new dimension to the ordinary.
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