I have always been amazed by the skill and talent of Kristin Divers when I’ve seen her beautiful pastel paintings. When I first moved into my own studio at the Harrison Center years ago, Kristin also had a studio here and she showed beautiful, peopled landscapes of places and events in Indianapolis that took my breath away. Her work was, and still is, almost photographic, yet her medium is so flexible that it takes a moment to realize how she has created these images. They look like photographs painted with oil paints, but not. Is there such a thing as Realistic Impressionism? If there was, that is where I would categorize these magical images. I have often had to do a double take to make sure I read the tag correctly and that these paintings were created with pastels! It’s no wonder the work of this show has been featured in the Pastel Journal. Kristin is truly a master of the medium.

Her current show at the Harrison Center is called, “Hot Metal” and is a study of the steel industry in America. According to her artist statement, Divers felt very fortunate to be able to gain entry to the actual mills where she was able to see, study and photograph the actual creation of steel. At one point in history this would have been impossible due to safety concerns as well as the competitive nature of various companies. The artist has transformed her observations and learning into rich, beautiful paintings that glow with the heat of the process. One of the things she loves about pastels is that they are the purest form of pigment, making it the medium with the highest color saturation and creating extremely bright and vivid colors. For this reason they are the perfect medium for these steel mill paintings. Because working with pastels is the equivalent of painting without a brush, Divers is able to capture the intensity of color as well as the texture and mood of the mills with amazing accuracy.

What I find fascinating about these pieces, beyond the impeccable craftsmanship and the impact of the scenes themselves, is that in painting the shapes and colors of each scene, the artist has somehow managed to present them in amazing accuracy while creating images that, in some cases, could almost read as abstract paintings. An example of this is the piece titled, “Bin of Cropped Ends”. If it were separated from the other pieces and without a frame of context, I might see primarily its rich color story and the satisfying composition of curved lines and textures. It is a beautiful work, even without the understanding that it is an accurate rendering of a real scene. At the same time, I so appreciate the informal portraits of the people who do this work, and the information about the nature of the Steel Industry that these beautiful paintings provide.

The show will hang in the Harrison Gallery throughout September and can be viewed online at our website where the art will be available for purchase as well. Visit the online gallery here.