The Working Artist / The Working Gallerist

The Working Artist / The Working Gallerist
Kathleen Kucka at her opening at Kenise Barnes Fine Art in Kent, Conn. 
Photo by Alexander Wilburn

Kathleen Kucka of Furnace Art on Paper Archive in Falls Village, Conn., shares a commonality with many of the gallery owners in The Berkshires and Litchfield Hills  — Henry Klimowicz of The Re Institute, Theo Coulombe of Standard Space and KK Kozic of The Icehouse Project, to name a few — they're all working artists in their own right.

When asked how she views herself, Kucka said, "I'm always an artist first."

At the opening of a new show at Kenise Barnes Fine Art in Kent, Conn., Kucka stepped out of her role curating exhibitions and debuted her own new work — very new. "I finished this series about a week ago with that last fabulous coat of paint. I wanted them to pop."

The "Cosmos" trio blend geometric perfection with the allure of carefully embraced burn-mark scars. Residing in Salisbury, Conn., Kucka has transplanted the downtown dream of the SoHo artist to adapt to rural living. A drive to Falls Village allows her to effortlessly transition between her working studio and her role at her contemporary gallery.

"Red, Red" takes its inspiration from classic New England barns, while "Black & Gold" responds to a recent trip to Rome as Kucka's took in the Italian city's vibrant history for the first time, especially its patterns. "The Romans were in communication with Egypt and the Middle East; these cultures were built around ancient math and sacred geometry. It's mind-blowing, and it still resonates."

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