About Kathleen Shaver 

Within the often sanitized and synthetic confines of human civilization in the twenty first century, Kathleen Shaver’s

artwork dares to defy such as status quo by seeking out the primal. With an approach forged by a love for paint and an expressionistic vision, Shaver works from a place where intuitive gestures and mark-making formulate a visual quest for a pre-linguistic awareness. Shaver’s inspiration is derived from a remarkable source, the Lascaux cave painters, whose time, culture, and language transcending images inform her primitivist style. Though her paintings never provide a definitive answer to the proverbial universal question of our origins and our ultimate destinations, through the use of calligraphic lines, eventually building up to a thick, textured surface as well paint applied with a variety of spatulas, palette knives, rollers, misshapen old brushes and her hands, Shaver’s art invites viewers to ponder such questions for themselves.

 

 

 

 


New Brunswick Art Salon 2018 – Oil and Mixed Media: “An Expanse of Expressionism”

New Brunswick Art Salon 2020 – Oil and Mixed Media: Encounters

Artist Personal Website: www.kathleenshaver.com


Artist Statement

My art is best described as a search for the primal. The Lascaux cave painters, whose images transcend time, culture, and language, inspire me. The ancient and fundamentally human act of applying pigment to a surface is a constant reference for me. I work from a place where intuitive gestures and mark-making record a quest for a pre-linguistic awareness. My paintings, drawings, and sculptures reflect an interest in the most elemental creative materials: pigment, stone, wood, paper, and fabric. Ancient cave painters sought to grasp the mystery of human existence, one that eludes language or intellectual concepts. Similarly, I seek a unique and fundamentally primal expression of that mystery. 


Exhibitions 

Individual Exhibitions

  • 2019 “Beyond the Paint,” ChaShaMa Artist Space, NYC, NY
  • 2019 “Texture,” Paintings by Kathleen Shaver at MEBL, NYC, NY
  • 2019 “New Work: Oil Paintings on Paper,” The Burrison Gallery, The University of Pennsylvania, PA
  • 2018 Paint, Featured Artist at Sofitel Hotel, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2017 New Paintings @ Raw, Reading Art Works, Reading PA
  • 2016 New Paintings @ Raw, Reading Art Works, Reading PA
  • 2016 Kathleen Shaver at LaGuardia Galleries of Fine Art, Long Island City, NY
  • 2016 Small Abstractions, Burrison Gallery, University of Pennsylvania
  • 2016 New Work On Paper, The Cosmopolitan Club, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2015 Back to Eden, Works on Paper at The Grand Opera House, Wilmington, DE
  • 2015 Serial: New Work by Kathleen Shaver, University City Arts League, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2015 New Work @ RAW, Reading Art Works, Reading, PA
  • 2015 The Structure of Chaos, New Paintings in the Hall Gallery, Crane Art Building, Philadelphia
  • 2014 Works on Paper, The Burrison Gallery, Philadelphia PA
  • 2014 Recent Paintings @ RAW, Reading Art Works, Reading, PA
  • 2012 Solo Exhibition, Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2011 Abstractions, The Burrison Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2004 New Works, Rodger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1992 Stories and Words, Rodger LaPelle Galleries,Philadelphia, PA
  • 1991 Passages (Text and Tradition), Rodger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1989 Growing Time, Rodger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA

Group Exhibitions

  • 2019 Juried Alumni Exhibition, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia (Juror: Emily Zilber)
  • 2019 100th Birthday Celebration, Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, Woodstock, NY
  • 2018 Bob and Weave, InLiquid @ Archer Law, Philadelphia,PA
  • 2018 Juried Alumni Exhibition, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia (Juror: Molly Dougherty)
  • 2018 The 77th Woodmere Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA (Juror: Syd Carpenter)
  • 2018 An Expanse of Expressionism: Oil Color and Mixed Media, Alfa Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ
  • 2018 Dig, Hamilton Street Gallery, Boundbrook, NJ
  • 2018 155th Annual Exhibition of Small Oil Paintings, 2018 Open Juried Show, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2018 The Physicality of Painting, InLiquid Gallery at the Crane Arts Building, Philadelphia (Juror: Mat Tomezsko)
  • 2017 Annual Alumni Exhibition, Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia (Jurors: Tory Savery, Founding Director of Savery Gallery, Philadelphia and Robert Chaney, Director of Curatorial Affairs, ICA, Philadelphia)
  • 2017 The 74th Annual Juried Painting Show, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, PA (Juried by Andrea Packard, Direct of List Gallery at Swarthmore College, PA)
  • 2017 “Mythologies,” Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh, NY (curated by Virginia Walsh, Director of Exhibitions, Ann Street Gallery)
  • 2017 Annual Spring Gala Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, PA (Juror: Ekaterina Popova, artist & publisher, Create! Magazine)
  • 2017 Big Idea, invitational exhibit, The Painting Center, NYC, NY
  • 2017 Conversations, Legend Galleries, Philadelphia (sculpture exhibition juried by artist Marc Blumthal)
  • 2017 Featured Artist in Residence, Logan Hotel gallery space, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2016 Strokes of Genius, Maryland Federation of Art, Circle Gallery, Annapolis, MD (Juror: Joey P. Manlapez, Professor of Fine Arts, Corcoran College of Art & Design)
  • 2016 Lowe House Exhibition, House of Delegates, Annapolis, MD (Juror: Matt Klos, Associate Professor of Humanities and Visual Arts, Anne Arundel Community College, MD)
  • 2016 Main Line Art Center Spring Gala Exhibition, Haverford, PA (Juror: Sharon Ewing, Gross McLeaf Gallery, Philadelphia)
  • 2016 Abington Art Center Annual Juried Exhibition, Abington, PA (Juror:Leah Modigliani, Assistant Professor and Program Head of the Visual Studies Department at Tyler School of Art)
  • 2015 MD Art @ College Park, University of Maryland Gallery, College Park, MD (Juror: Yumi Hogan, Artist, Maryland Institute College of Art Faculty, First Lady of Maryland)
  • 2015 All That’s Jazz, Art In City Hall, Philadelphia, PA (Juror: Richard J. Watson, artist and Director of Exhibitions at the African American Museum in Philadelphia)
  • 2015 72nd Annual Awards Painting Show, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA (Juror: Sharon Ewing, Director, Gross McCleaf Gallery)
  • 2014 Annual Juried Exhibition, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA. (Juror: Gerard Brown)
  • 2014 Small Works Exhibition, Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY (Jurors: Marilyn Dintenfass, David Provan, and Greg Slick)
  • 2014 Creative Tension, an Open Media Exhibition, Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown Gallery, NJ (Juror: Maiza Hixson, Gretchen Hupfel Curator of Contemporary Art at The Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, DE)
  • 2014 First Street Gallery National Juried Exhibition, NYC (Juror: Jed Perl)
  • 2014 Artists Against Hunger, an exhibition to benefit the Philadelphia Food Trust juried by Moe Brooker, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2014 Small…but not restricted, Moore College of Art and Design Alumni Exhibition, (Juror: Bridgette Mayer, Director, Bridgett Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA)
  • 2014 Prince Street Gallery National Juried Show NYC (Juror: Lois Dodd, Artist, ME)
  • 2013 Annual Juried Show, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA, Juror’s Choice Award, (Juror: Ross L. Mitchell, Executive Director, Violette de Masia Foundation, Philadelphia, PA)
  • 2013 Annual POST Exhibition, 3rd Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2013 The Annex at 3rd Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2013 Artists Against Hunger, an exhibition to benefit the Philadelphia Food Trust juried by Moe Brooker, Da Vinci Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2013 MDArt @College Park: Fine Art by Maryland and Maryland Federation of Art Artists, UMD Gallery, The University of Maryland, College Park, MD (Juror: Dan Mills, Director of Bates College Museum of Arts, ME)
  • 2013 Human Rights Art Exhibition, Cooper Center South Texas College Pecan Campus and Gallery 409, Brownsville, TX, Merit Award (Juror: Richard Lubben, Associate Professor of Art, South Texas College, TX)
  • 2012 Strokes of Genius, Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD (Juror: Mark Karnes, Maryland Institute College of Art, MD)
  • 2012 Annual POST Exhibition, Third Street Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2012 Irresistible, group show, Rodger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2012 Prince Street Gallery Fifth National Juried Exhibition (Juror: Yvonne Jacquette, Artist, NYC)
  • 2012 XL-XS: Extra Large and Extra Small Formats, Maryland Federation of Art National Juried Exhibition, Annapolis, MD, Juror’s Choice Award (Juror: Barry Nemett, Chair of the Painting Department, Maryland Institute College of Art, MD)
  • 2012 Ceres Gallery 20th Annual Friends Exhibition, NYC
  • 2009 The Language of Landscape, Moore Galleries at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2005 Multiples, Alumni Exhibition, Moore College of Art and Design,Philadelphia, PA (Jurors: Timothy Hawkesworth, Alice Oh, Julia Zagar)
  • 2005 Prints and Drawing Exhibition, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Philadelphia, PA
  • 2003 Group Show, Rodger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1996 Alumnae Exhibition, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1995 55th Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA (Juror: Neal Benezra, Chief Curator, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden,Washington, D.C.)
  • 1994 “Face to Face, Portraits and Self-Portraits by Moore Alumnae”, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1993 And the Women Danced: Jewish Women’s Spiritual Leadership, Juried Exhibition Sponsored by the Jewish Women’s Studies Project. Borowsky Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, Second Prize (Jurors: Nancy Hellebrand, Photographer; Elsa Honig-Fine, Publisher of Women’s Art Journal; Judith Tannenbaum, Associate Director, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania)
  • 1992 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 95th Annual Fellowship Exhibition, Ursinus College, Collegeville, PA (Jurors: Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid, Artists)
  • 1992 Native to Neon, Advanta U.S. Artists ‘92, 33rd Street Armory, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1992 52nd Annual Juried Exhibition, Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA (Juror: Peter Blume, Director of the Allentown Art Museum)
  • 1992 Art of the State, Pennsylvania ’92, Juried Exhibition, Greater Harrisburg Arts Festival, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA
  • 1991 Art of the State, Pennsylvania ’91, Juried Exhibition, Greater Harrisburg Arts Festival, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pa. (Jurors: Elaine King, Director of Carnegie Mellon Art Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University; Richard Torchia, Director of Levy Gallery, Moore College of Art; Michael W. Schantz, Director of Woodmere Art Museum; Robert D. Bullock, Exhibition Chief, the State Museum of Pennsylvania)
  • 1990 Philadelphia Art Now, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA (Painting and Drawing Jurors: Richard Armstrong, Associate Curator, Whitney Museum of Art, NY; Allan Stone, President, Allan Stone Gallery, NY; and Judith Tannenbaum, Assistant Director, Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, PA)
  • 1990 165th Annual Exhibition of the National Academy of Design, NYC.
  • 1990 Art of the State, Pennsylvania ’90, Juried Exhibition, Greater Harrisburg Arts Festival, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA Jurors: Anne Fabbri Buera, Art Critic and Director Noyes Museum, NJ; William Zimmer, Art Critic, NYC; Julie Cortney, Curator for the Institute of Contemporary Art, PA; Dr. Sylvia Lahvis, Curator of fine Arts, The State Museum of PA)
  • 1990 Painters and Realities, Group Exhibition, Rodger LaPelle Galleries, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1990 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 93rd Annual Fellowship Exhibition, James A. Michener Art Museum, Doyelstown, PA, Leona Karp Braverman Award for Painting (Jurors: Lisa Dennison, Associate Curator, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, NYC; Grace Hartigan, Artist, Baltimore, MD)
  • 1989 49th Annual Awards Painting Exhibition, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA, Barbara Specker Gorsen Award (Juror: Terrie Frances Sultan, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)
  • 1989 Art of the State, Pennsylvania ‘89, Juried Exhibition, Greater Harrisburg Arts Festival, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA (Jurors: Marion Boulton Stroud, Founder and Director of The Fabric Workshop Gallery Museum, Philadelphia, PA; Palo Colombo, Director of Exhibitions, Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA; Rachel Selekman, Associate Director of Dolin Maxwell Gallery, NYC)
  • 1989 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 92nd Annual Fellowship Exhibition, The American College Gregg Conference Center, Bryn Mawr, PA (Juror: Frank Hyder, Chairman of Fine Arts, Moore College of Art and Design)
  • 1989 Group Exhibition, Phoenix Gallery, NYC
  • 1989 Group Exhibition, Touchstone Gallery, Washington, D.C.
  • 1988 48th Annual Awards Painting Exhibition, Cheltenham Art Center, Cheltenham, PA (Jurors: Carol Wald. Artist, Detroit MI; Walter S. Erlebacher, Sculptor, Philadelphia,PA)
  • 1987 Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 90th Annual Fellowship Exhibition, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, Mary Butler Memorial Award for Painting (Jurors: Linda Bantel, Director of the Museum of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Judith Stein, Associate Curator: Thomas Chimes, Artist,Philadelphia, PA)
  • 1985 Group Exhibition, The Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
  • 1985 Philadelphia Drawing Competition, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA, Honorable Mention (Juror: Al Ordover, Director of Freidus Ordover Gallery, Soho, NY)

Awards

  • 2016: Third Place, “Strokes of Genius,” Maryland Federation of Art, Circle Gallery, Annapolis, Maryland; Juror: Joey P. Manlapaz
  • 2016: Honorable Mention, Lowe House Exhibition, Maryland House of Delegates, Annapolis, Maryland; Juror: Matt Kios
  • 2013: Juror’s Choice Award, Abington Art Center Juried Show; Juror: Ross L. Mitchell
  • 2013: Merit Award, Human Rights Art Exhibition, South Texas College; Juror: Richard Lubben
  • 2012: Outstanding Achievement Award, Alumni Association of the HUP School of Nursing for the creation of The History of Nursing as Seen Through the Lens of Art
  • 2012: Juror’s Choice Award, “Strokes of Genius,” Maryland Federation of Art
  • 2012: University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Faculty and Alumni Legacy Award for the creation of The History of Nursing as Seen Through the Lens of Art
  • 2012: Juror’s Choice Award, “XL-XS Extra Large Extra Small Formats,” Maryland Federation of Art; Jurors: Barry Nemett, Mark Kames
  • 1993: Second Prize, “And the Women Danced: Jewish Women’s Spiritual Leadership.” Borowsky Gallery; Jurors: Nancy Hellebrand, Elsa-Honig-Fine, Judith Tannenbaum
  • 1990: Leona Karp Braveman Award for Painting, Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; Jurors: Lisa Dennison, Grace Hartigan
  • 1989: Barbara Specker Gorsen Award, 49th Annual Awards Painting Exhibition, Cheltenham Center for the Arts; Juror: Terrie Frances Sultan
  • 1988: Purchase Award, Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
  • 1987: Mary Butler Memorial Award in Painting, Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; Jurors: Linda Bantel, Judith Stein, Thomas Chimes
  • 1985: Philadelphia Drawing Competition, Honorable Mention; Juror: Al Ordover

Collections 

  • Private Collections
  • Fellowship of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
  • Park Towne Place Museum District Residences
  • PNC Bank Collection
  • South Texas College Human Rights Permanent Art Collection
  • Your Part-time Controller, LLC

Education

Diploma in Nursing, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing 

BFA with Honors in Painting, Moore College of Art & Design 

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Continuing Education


Artist Interview