The Advocate 1998

Mad about hue

Sky Power shows her love of color, line

" I love color and I love line," said artist Sky Power.

And you'll find plenty of both in her paintings (they're done in a variety of media and format, including oils on canvas and acrylic on Masonite) on exhibit at the Provincetown Group Gallery through July 16.

" I like to incorporate color and line together, with as much emphasis on one as the other in terms of value," Power said. "What I’m trying to do [with them] is like what a musician does with music. It's an emotional affect that I’m interested in.

And looking at a painting like "Budding brambles, Bleeding words," one is enlivened by the boldness of the colors and the power of the brush strokes, as well as the edginess of her lines. But if that piece, well, trumpets and blares with kinetic energy, another painting, "Room To Move" seems to offer up an oh-so-quiet stillness to the viewer. To wit, if it were a piece of music, it would no doubt would be played softly.

Budding brambles, Bleeding words

The title is meant on all levels," said Power. In other words, there's room to move physically, emotionally, psychically, creatively, and so on. Perhaps it's precisely the promise of all this freedom that: makes this work so outstanding. "Everyone says it's their favorite,- said Power, who paused and
then added a confession. "It's mine, too."

According to the artist, the colors - peaceful blue and terra cotta - were inspired by the color of the pottery made by Gay Smith, whom Power visited during a road trip to North Carolina. Back to the notion of music, it's perhaps easy to understand why it's major point of reference for Sky Power. As a child growing up in Texas, she was I trained in music. Since 1984, she's earned her living I tuning pianos. Today that skill accounts for approximately two-thirds of her income.

"It's a business I've been cultivating for many years, and will continue to," she said. "It's thrilling as a piano tuner to be around musicians. It's a skill I care very much about. I also care very much about myself as a professional artist and will continue to cultivate that.- One way she's cultivating her art is through experimentation: For years, Power used a white background for her paintings. "That color itself, that negative space, is a dominant feature in my pieces,- she explained.

That said, many of the paintings that Power created this winter, such as the triptych, "Death, Life, and Something In-Between," were painted on a yellow background. "I painted on top of a yellow wash," she said, "because I wanted to see what affect it would have. It ended up to be quite striking, quite brilliant.

Asked how she approaches her work, Power said, "Frequently I start off not knowing what I'm going to do. On a number of pieces, I started with what I call 'free flow.. where I just let it flow. But at a certain point I have to
become analytical. There must be very exact placement of stroke and color in order to make the piece work.

Like "Pinnacles of Belief," which took more than two months to complete. "It took a long time to finish," said Power, "because it became completely analytical. Every area I put color mattered."

Sometimes, however, deep analysis happens before the painting even is begun. For "Death, Life and Something In-Between," Power spent several days drawing on paper with colored pencils to help decide which colors she'd use - in terms of which order and in what value. "It helped to see how colors would hold together," Power said.

Interestingly, the artist selects the titles for her paintings with the same kind of care and attention to detail. "I purposely choose titles with as much intent as the colors I choose," she said. "To me, the titles are poetry." Or song titles, if you will. Sky Power’s work, along with paintings by Bill von der Heydt, will be on view at the Provincetown Group Gallery through July 16.

The Advocate, Thursday, July 9, 1998