![Ali Cavanaugh, "I lost myself in a familiar thought #1," Modern fresco (watercolor on clay board)](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/large_lightbox/hash/72/4d/724d9fda9b24375c0f4393fe806af9c5.jpg?itok=RNTj5J0S "Ali Cavanaugh, "I lost myself in a familiar thought #1," Modern fresco (watercolor on clay board)")
The work of Ali Cavanaugh is subtly mysterious, highly realistic and takes from old fresco traditions with a contemporary twist. Currently on display at Robert Lange Studios, her watercolor paintings are set in an intimate space behind the main entrance. Cavanaugh’s use of muted tones on gesturing figures wearing patterned socks contrasts with the stark white background, causing the image to emerge from the board on which it is painted.
“The striped socks first appeared in my work on dangling legs. Soon after these leg paintings I started to put the patterned socks on the arms of the figure. I felt that it carried a playful rhythm into the upper part of the figure that held so much emotion. The energy of the sock arms made the perfect contrast/balance for the silent contemplation that is so prevalent in my figurative work,” Cavanaugh said of this particular series.
Born in St. Louis in 1973, Cavanaugh was educated at the Parson’s School of Design in New York City, and earned her BFA at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1995. In 1996, she co-founded the New School Academy of Fine Art in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was recently featured on the cover of the December Issue of American Art Collector Magazine and has won numerous awards. Recognized worldwide, she is featured in more than 300 private and corporate collections throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, Portugal, Switzerland, Singapore, and Australia. She now lives in the St. Louis area with her husband and two children.
Robert Lange Studios is located at 2 Queen Street in the historic French Quarter District of downtown Charleston. Representing artists who exemplify the best in contemporary American Realism and Abstraction, the gallery is a member of the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association (CFADA) and the French Quarter Gallery Association. RLS participates in the French Quarter Art Walks on the first Fridays of March, May, October, and December and the CFADA Fine Art Annual in November and the Palette & Palate Stroll, which will take place this year on July 16.
Comments
i would have assumed it was a photograph had i not read the intro. cool
I love the painting of Chewie.
The striped arms (socks) is such an interesting choice; I totally see the pop-out effect. The woman's arms look like they're sticking out of the painting. Neat!
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