The subjects in “Portraits in Passing” are the people of the street — those encountered in daily life yet often overlooked: the wanderers, the unhoused and the forgotten. Through Tallahassee-based artist A.E. Kozeliski’s brush, these fleeting figures become thought-provoking reflections of contemporary society.
Opening in our Balcony Gallery for Florida Artists, work invites viewers to engage personally and to find their own stories within the faces and gestures portrayed. As subtle details reveal themselves, the once unseen become visible, gaining presence and dignity through the artist’s hand.
Rooted in the ancient traditions of Chinese brush painting, Kozeliski’s process draws on the discipline’s four foundational strokes (dot, line, hook and wash), along with a refined mastery of brush pressure and water-ink balance. Careful selection of handmade paper is also essential to her practice. The paintings are created in the Mogu, or “boneless” style, which forgoes outlines and instead uses washes of ink and color to define form. Through this approach, she seeks to capture not physical likeness, but the subject’s energy, or qi.
Kozeliski notes, “I have embraced an ancient art form and through the depiction of contemporary subject matter I have made it my own while respecting its traditions.”
(pictured) “Purple Rain,” Chinese brush painting on Double Xuan using Eastern watercolors and Japanese “Sumi” ink, 22 x 27 in., On loan from the artist.
Artist Talk and Demonstration
Saturday, April 4, 1 p.m.
Join Kozeliski in the auditorium on the April 4 Free First Saturday for a talk on the works featured in “Portraits in Passing.” Learn about her contemporary Chinese brush-painting techniques and enjoy a live demonstration. Free; no reservations needed to attend.