Kyle Ma’s last course before receiving his bachelor’s degree in geology at the University of Texas, Austin, was a six-week field trip from Texas to Montana, mapping, studying geological history and getting up close to different rock layers.
Deadhorse Point Winter, oil, 18 x 24 in.
“Observation really is key to trying to paint representationally at a high level,” he explains. “There’s a lot of subtlety. I like to go beyond the obvious, to more than merely glancing at something. I like something that invites me to look longer, to see nuances.”
Those nuances will be on view during Light, Land & Legacy: The Art of Kyle Ma, a new solo show at Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. It opens February 12.
Colorado River Autumn, oil, 30 x 36 in.
In addition to his Western landscapes, Ma will also be showing some of his European works, including Piazza Navona, a painting of the Neptune Fountain in Rome’s Piazza Navona, which he sketched on a recent visit. Whether in Italy or Arizona, Ma is drawn to the quality of the light. Working on site, he creates pencil and color sketches which he takes back to his studio. “Painting in plein air,” he says, “you get to observe the subject first-hand which develops a unique connection with memory. You can’t replicate that if you’re only working in the studio. I can look at a plein air sketch to help me remember the feeling of a place and the colors and values which I use to inform me when painting a more ambitious, larger painting in the studio.”
The show opens February 12 with a reception during Scottsdale Art Walk from 6 to 9 p.m. —
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