Maui News “Art In View” writes-

“Paia Contemporary Gallery will unveil its first 2012 exhibition featuring new works by award-winning artists Michael Kessler of Santa Fe, N.M., and McKay Otto of Wimberly, Texas. A public reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday; the show continues through April 4.

Both painters are recognized in the U.S. and abroad, and their pieces have been shown in scores of exhibitions.

Kessler’s awards include the Rome Prize for Painting from the American Academy in Rome in 1990 and a Pollock/Krasner Award in Painting in 1992. His work has been featured in 150 solo exhibitions since 1983, and his paintings appear in more than 20 U.S. museum collections, including the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

“I see my work as a metaphor for nature – about wondering how it (nature) got that way, realizing that we may never find out,” Kessler said in a gallery release.

Otto’s work has been featured in more than 90 exhibitions nationally and internationally since 1989. His awards and grants include the 2008 Hunting Art Prize finalist, and he is one of only two artists mentored by famous abstract reductionist Agnes Martin.

McKay Otto's "Ever Cicle Around Ever"

“This current body of work may serve as a metaphor for humanity’s capacity to transcend itself,” Otto said in the release.

Gallery director Lauren Harris said both artists will create a not-to-miss experience for viewers: “These artists ask us to look deeper . . . into nature, into ourselves, and into the work that has transpired from inspiration.”

Paia Contemporary Gallery, which holds tri-annual receptions, specializes in abstract, contemporary artwork created by a core group of Hawaii artists, alongside national, and international established talents. The gallery, open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and by appointment, is located at 83 Hana Highway. Call 579-8444 or visit www.paiacontemporarygallery.com.”

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