The focus of this presentation is Kevin Umaña’s recent interest in and experimentation with ceramics, in particular, the unique aspects of glazing. This process not only adds color, but also texture and depth to ceramic surfaces. The alchemical and fluid nature of the process softens the edges of shapes and compositions, while the surface changes add a dimension that imbues more content in the geometric compositions. These flat ceramic works read both as small paintings and objects.
These ceramic works were conceived and created for Umaña’s recent exhibition, Wax and Wane, which included all new geometric paintings. The paintings explored many new additions to the pigment and medium to emulate ceramic glazes, adding novel and textured surfaces to the canvases. Similarly, he strived to use flat ceramic surfaces as supports for hard-edge geometric and curvilinear compositions. Also included are several hybrid paintings that have ceramic works adhered to the canvas surface.
