Minneapolis painter Kari Maxwell works in both oil and acrylic, specializing in portraits. Her favorite models? Cows! While at school in Montana, this self-taught artist was a frequent witness to herds of the species that inspires her.
“I have a relationship with my subject that I am unable to articulate or define. What I do know is that there is a point in time when every painting is a composite of where I spiritually find myself (on any given day) and where I find each cow,” says Kari. “Although it has become extremely clear to me that all of my subjects are distinctly individual, there is a common thread of a conscious presence, gentleness and curiosity they all seem to reflect . . . Just as a cow lies down in the pasture, getting up is not an easy task and yet, she always does. This is inspiration enough for me to get up and create movement. These paintings are a result of that movement.”
The titles of Kari’s work articulate her vision: “She Can Look You in the Eye,” “At Her Leisure,” “Bright Eyed and Bushy Tailed,” “She Absorbs It All,” “The Companion of Another,” and “She Who Fortifies.”
