Alyson Khan
Alyson Khan’s earthly-ethereal geometric abstracts include hints of two-dimensional icons, stained glass windows, ceremonial garments, carnivalesque paraphernalia, dressmaker pattern pieces, and carefully designed altars. Her work is also a deep investigation into color--its complexities as a visual phenomenon as well as its role as catalyst for sparking feeling and narrative.
The artist’s early forays into making included quilting and sewing--crafts that essentially join hard edges of color and texture. Math minded with a degree in writing, the self-taught artist’s approach to painting includes a formulaic method for making sense of chaos and many “drafts” to be edited and re-edited. An intense spiritual retreat in the Sangre De Cristo Mountains of Colorado taught Alyson what she describes as “a way to hold space for healing” that echoes in her studio practice today where she melds her diverse visual influences while dealing in emotional themes. Union, bridging seemingly impossible parts of our lives, mending our brokenness, and the ways we visit the abyss and emerge from it with treasures are some of the leitmotifs she explores.
Her pieces may resemble a long built-upon place of worship or gathering, a strange alchemical device, a prayer rug, a crude sailing vessel, a shield, a fortune teller, or a shamanic robe--all of which shepherd the process of transformation.