Conversations 1999

In Conversations, Curtis has created her own muses, who admonish as well as inspire through a unique collaboration of the whimsical, the intellectual, and the divine. Research, reading, and reflection on the lives and the work of such mentors as e.e. cummings, Stuart Davis, Rainier Maria Rilke and Corita Kent was the foundation for Kay’s Thirteen Concepts, which she feels are common ground for all who choose the life of an artist.

Conversations features monotypes, collages and cutouts of the kings and queens and circus performers who have peopled Kay’s work through the years. In this show of thirteen images, the actors speak to us of the true lessons an artist must learn. “Now the Eyes of My Eyes Are Open” shows the artist seeing the world as she must, through an unusual and unique prism. “Less is More” illustrates the weighing of the two, with Less always emerging as heavier than More. “The Leap of Faith” and “Know the World” both have a special meaning for Kay as she contemplated leaving her beloved Elk and moving on to a new life on the east coast. “After the Dreams, Laundry” is a concept that Kay lives every day as artist, mother, business person, and community organizer.

One of the most notable elements of Kay’s work has been her distinctive “alphabet” which illuminates a bit of the tireless introspection and study that Kay’s work embodies.