JAMES KUHN

"Judas Kiss" by James Kuhn

James Kuhn is a multi-faceted artist who works in many mediums. While no longer living in Chicago, his work has long been seen and collected in this city. Currently he is creating a series of painted face portraits, where his head and face literally become the canvas for inventive and whimsical paintings. Reviewed here are the artist's "Paint Mosiacs". These works bridge the spiritual truths of the artist's faith with the physical reality of those same traditions. Using the stories from the Old and New Testament Bibles, Kuhn creates cunning narratives that transform the viewer with their ecstatic vision of the teaming energy and spirit infusing all life. The artist's method begins by making a richly painted scene on canvas. Then he covers sheets of thick watercolor paper with paint and cuts them into hundreds of pieces which are layered onto the original painting, glued down into a vision of vibrating colors and pulsating forces. These mosaic compositions evolve with organic abandon, and show a fierce intensity of passion and energetic expression. Kuhn renders immediate and visual what is ultimately eternal and immaterial.

James Kuhn's biblical works can be seen at Crazy 8 Art