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-.:.':,:: eventy or so miles east o[ NyC, tuckedt',,. dway in a magnificently renovated barn"::::. originally bullt in the eighteenth century

',,, ' and renovated in the 1950s by architect': : Henry Hebblen for his own studio,

Pennsylvania artist Brad Kunkle creates his figura-

tively based wor[<s. Trees halo the barn, which[eatures a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams, a

lofted space that looks down into a large workarea, and perhaps the most special feature, a wallof windows that peeks out into the dense green

wilderness that abounds outside. lt is to here that

Kunkle has retreated lrom ciry life in Brooklynbarely half a yedr ago-to immerse hlmself in

the untamed landscapes that inspire his stunningpaintings.

Born in the coal mining hills of Leighton, Pennsylvania in1978, Kunkle developed his interest in art by watching hisolder brother draw This early influence led him to attendKutztown University for painting, in the Amish country ofhis home state, where he was taught under George Sorrels.This professor's personal choice of occasionally paintingin grisaille, or the use of a limited color palette that wasalso used by Flemish masters Jan van Eyck and Robert

ABOVE: "Self Portrait"OPPOSITE: "Thirty Thousand Feet"FOLLOWING: "IsIands"

Campin, would leave an deep impression on Kunkle whoseown works utilize this technique in tandem with the use ofprecious metal gilding.

Contrasting with his use of grisaille, this gliding tech'nique, an amalgam of traditional application and the useof etching tools to shape the leafing, creates a luminous,reflective quality to the works. ln this way, the surfaces ofthe paintings exist in two realms of viewing:

"l love the fact that the precious metals create a reflec-tive surface that actually brings the environment of theviewer lnfo the painting. So you have a painted surface...the one that I have determined for the viewer, then youhave this reflectlve surface, that changes depending onthe viewer's movements. The paintings become interactiveand the viewer becomes part of creating what they areseeing. For me, it's like the world l've created and the worldthe viewer stands in, are having this dance, choreographedby the viewer. "

This choreography also includes the visual subject matterof the works; strong yet feral females weave their wayinto the forest, fashioned in layers of leaves or featheredheaddresses, often appearing in a state of transformationor communion with thelr settings. The choice to presentbeautiful women in nature isn't a new one, and yet here itfeel refreshingly different; even though the figures oftenappear nude, their sexuality is understated to give way tothe expression of the 'feminine energy.' Their forms andpresence suggest a personification of the magical aspect

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ABOVE: "Bird of Paradise"OPPOSITE: "Cocoon"

FOLLAWING:"The Gilded Wilderness"

rather than simply an aesthetic

magic of the woman's ability to create life. I

believe that we've lost a balance in society bybeinq so male-dominated. I think men, insteadof accepting responsibility for their own in-ability to control their desires around women,instead blamed women and blamed some sortof supernatural force. This happens often inWestern religion In my opinion. Responsibilityfor one's own actions is skirted by blamingsomething or someone else. I want to helpbring back the old magic, and part of thatis connecting to the natural world and a bigpart of the natural world is recoqnizing thesignificance and beauty and power of women.Perhaps that 'old magic' is simply a harmonybetween all things."

This balance is illustrated in the suggestionof our return to nature that's evident in hisrecent works. Early this past spring at NYC'sArcadia Gallery, with whom Kunkle has hada successful partnership with since 2008,saw the opening of Gilded Wilderness, a largebody of work hiqhlighting Kunkle's conver-gence of the female form with the natural

world. Within this body of work the femaleprotagonist's are imbued with the "old magic"of the natural world. They appear as seers,bee healers, high priestesses and guardiansof this metallic wildness, often literally co-cooned by it.

ln "lslands" two two solemn figures face eachother against a muted landscape. One figureis nearly entirely fashioned in small petal'likeleaves, which swirl through the air and coatthe opposite figure, only her shoulders andface free f rom this new skin. This transforma-tive narrative speaks directly to the thesis ofthe show, a question that asks: What under-lies the layers in which we choose to shroudourselves? For the figures in his works, whatlies beneath the gilding is a deep connec-tion to the beauty and potency of nature.For Kunkle, returning to the wilderness of hisyouth has reconnected him with one of hisearliest inspirations:

"l qrew up in the woods, hiking, countingand identifying raptors at a local migrationpoint along the Appalachian Trail. Everysummer my family would go camping. l'vejust always had a natural affinity towards thewilderness. I feel like I belong to it. Like l'm apart of it. When I spend tlme within the wil-derness, even on a level of just living in thecountryside compared to the city, I feel thatI can "listen" to myself easier and "listen" towhere the universe is guiding me. lt's easier

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"BeforB ths Abrahamic religions strtlept thB

western world, the highest deities ttrtere fentale."

for me to identify the doors that I

should be stepping through."

As a contrast, the city, filled withthe constant chaos and noiseof busy lives, is visually absentfrom the works and is only subtlyhinted at by the use of the goldand silver leaf ing. Aside f romadding an ever-changing surfaceto the works depending on thelight that is hitting it, the leafingserves as a metaphor for thepromises made to us in consumerfilled media, religion and politics.What lies beneath these layers isoften more tricky to pinpoint:

"On a more metaphorical levelfor this last show, I was usingthe wilderness as this idea of a

wild untamed landscape that wemust navigate as consumers andcitizens. The concept of a gildedwilderness was one of questioningthe surface value of products orpeople or places that are present-ed to us. ln this modern age, it'smore and more difficult to trustwhat we are being sold. There'salways fine print to read and workto be done on our own part to findout what's beneath that layer ofgold. ls it just a super thin layerof gilding, or does the gold go allthe way down to the core, as thisperson wants me to believe?"

Navigating the world we live in,whether we are seeped in theisolation of the woods or con-stantly on the go in a busy city,the process of seeking truth andbeauty seems to always be a con-stant. The idea of the 'guest' is athematic device used throuqh-out literature and art, and here,Kunkle represents this by havinghis figures navigate the wilder-ness. ln particular, his figuresmust maneuver the golden, petallike leaves that enshroud theirbodies or become an 'otherness',a force to either plough throughor submit one's self to. ln "TheBoundary," a quiet portrait of a

nude figure is seen cradled in a

sea of these petal leaves. Thebold choice of only showing partof her back and hair adds to thedramatic tension between humanand nature that is prevalent

throughout all the works. The titlesuggests the figure has reacheda threshold, and because we cannot see her face, it is uncertain ifshe is sleeping peacefully withinthe bed of the wilderness or ifshe is dead, her body mergingand finally truly returning to thenatural world. ln sharp contrast tothis submission, "Fresh Air" and"The Search" feature two womendetermined to make their throughthese petal leaves, strugglingthrough them as they either crawlupwards out of them or wade theirway through them in search ofhigher ground.

These'quests'feel akin to thedaily struggles we are presentedwith and try to f ind a way out of. lnthis way, the image of the forest,though it's also the landscape forwhich these quests take placeon, represents a visualizatlon ofpeace and harmony, whether thatpeace is obtained by transforma-tion, submission or determinationhas been left up to the viewer.

In the title piece "The GildedWilderness," the sea of leaf petalsis bordered by old mechanical ma-chinery, large wheels that feel outof place in the forest. Standingnear these industrial tools arefigures clothed in suits signingpapers, their red ties sharply con-trasting with the muted colorsand the bright metallic shine ofthe leafing. Below these strangesentinels, figures, both men andwomen, bathe on the forest floor,seemingly unaware of the suitedfigures looming above them. Offto the right of the composition,Kunkle appears, acutely aware ofhis surroundings, his eyes pressedup towards the suited men, a

flutter of leaf petals floatingaround him. This awareness leadsto him to absence from both thereverie of his companions, as wellas from the business-like narra-tive occuring above him.

It is here that we hope to continueto find him, an observer betweenworlds, reporting on the harmonyand connection he hopes we willall one day achieve*

LEFT: "The Red Crown"OPPOSITE: "Fresh Air"