Kirby Fredendall ’84: The Color of Light

Kirby Fredendall ’84 is pleased to present The Color of Light, a collection of paintings in Walton Gallery from November 8, 2021 through February 11, 2022.

While the paintings can be most directly defined as landscapes, they can be more accurately described as representations of the constantly changing energy of our relationship with not only ourselves, but also with those around us and with our environment. They examine the unbreakable but changeable connections that exist between forces both within us and without.

“I enjoy the manipulation of materials and how process in itself contributes to the life and form of the final image,” said Kirby. “Dramatic, gestural lines describe the play of light and wind across the water, while softer marks add life to the slow movement of rain laden clouds. Areas of sky, water, and land are knit together with brushstrokes to represent their seamless interaction under the common conditions of weather and time.”

Kirby attended Duke University to study Art History, first in North Carolina and then in London. Following her studies in London she attended the Cordon Bleu, later to work as a pastry chef while she obtained her master’s degree in Art Education and Painting. Her first exhibitions were local, followed by numerous national group shows in Philadelphia, Hartford, Wilmington, Harrisburg, and later New York. Solo shows followed, including one at the Michener Art Museum. Kirby received the honor of the Rauschenberg Foundation’s “The Power of Art” grant.

A gallery talk and reception will be held Sunday, December 5, 2021 from noon to 1:00 p.m.