Color and Flow
In Bekah Pollard's show Color and Flow, she invites viewers into her creative process, pausing and even inviting them to participate. Full of color, texture, and pattern, this show features mixed-media yarn pieces and paintings. Through her work, Pollard seeks to offer a space for viewers to take pause and meditate on the many continuous lines that flow throughout the pieces, offering an opportunity to escape and be surrounded by the artwork's warm embrace.
In addition to creating yarn pieces that extend into the viewer's space, she has invited us to participate in the artwork by gently touching the art, thereby altering the placement of a particular strand and creating something new. Some pieces are merely affixed to the wall, while others arch over doorways and cascade down into our space. These knitted pieces feel very ephemeral and transport viewers to a different place where they can focus solely on the texture and color around them. It is very meditative as viewers follow each line of yarn, wondering how they are all connected.
In her piece Looping looping looping…, different strands of red, yellow, orange, and white yarn cascade down over a doorway. As people walk underneath, they are invited to touch the piece gently. This tactile experience adds to the overall effect in a very unique way: not only seeing the piece but also feeling it. As viewers experience these pieces with multiple senses, it's a perfect opportunity to think about how this can make art remain in your memory even more.
Pollard's paintings are similarly full of the meditative use of line, color, and texture. Some paintings even include mixed media, such as pom poms or yarn. Her piece, Psychedelic Sunset, is full of oranges, pinks, and yellows and covered in sparkly, multicolored pom poms. The way that the colors and textures jump out at the viewer is full of energy and excitement. It is truly a very fun piece that is easy to focus on in place of the more stressful aspects of life.
Another painting in this show that feels uniquely meditative is Warmth, in which flowing lines of orange, pink, and yellow move across the canvas in calming patterns. It might look unassuming at first glance because of the absence of poofs coming out at the viewer, but it is nonetheless engaging and even expands the bounds of what we think art can be. Surrounding the canvas is a curved, textured frame painted in the same way, making it as much a part of the piece as the canvas. It is full of energy and warmth, as the title implies.
Overall, Color and Flow reminds us of all that art can be and that we don't have to feel bound by limits or boundaries. It is inspiring not just for artists, but for anyone on a different career path to never feel limited in their creativity and ideas.
