Headbones Gallery

Presents

Ann Kipling

Ann Kipling: Portrait of a Man, 1984, Conte & pastel on paper, 26 x 20 inches

Ann Kipling’s drawings record a vibrational liveliness. Her mark-making is diligent, filled with energy and presence. In her ongoing works of portraits this perception of energy is especially acute. Every inch of space, empty or occupied, is alive.

With the discipline that demands a balanced headspace and a willingness to engage, Kipling acknowledges the restlessness of creation while still dealing with the permanence of the resultant art object. Kipling’s heads are recorded over time. The sitter was required to pose in one position as Ann Kipling recorded her impressions. She recorded the small shifts in the movement of the sitter to produce the portrait. In later portraits, she invited the sitter to move and this change of position was recorded. It is an intense cooperation between the sitter and the artist.

Ann Kipling was born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1934. In 2008, Kipling received an Honorary Doctorate from the Emily Carr University in Vancouver fifty-three years after she attended the Vancouver School of Art in 1955. Working exclusively on paper, Kipling has established herself as an important figure in Canadian art. Her work can be found in public and private collections across the country.