Royston Nave Memorial

The Oldest Museum in the Crossroads

VRMA: The Nave Museum is Proud to Present:

Carol Koutnik: Beyond the Backdoor

November 6 - December 20, 2020

The Nave Museum is proud to present “Beyond the Backdoor,” featuring works of art by Rockport artist Carol Koutnik.  Fifty-six paintings will be on display and will include oil paintings and graphite drawings.  Thirteen pieces are owned by collectors of her work, and the remaining pieces will be available to purchase from Ms. Koutnik.  The exhibit opens to the public on Friday, November 6, and runs through Sunday, December 20.  

More than 20 years ago, Carol arrived in Rockport Texas as a well-practiced, plein-air watercolor painter after moving and traveling extensively in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. The portability of the medium gave her the opportunity to visit and closely observe new and changing environments.

Physical injuries forced her to change that active lifestyle. Her backyard, next to her studio, became her enclosed inspiration along with a renewed practice of oil painting. She began to paint close up intricacies of various plant forms by taking photos and manipulating the image on Photoshop until she had new vibrant colors for models from which to paint. Hurricane Harvey, however, changed her shaded paradise by uprooting several huge oak trees. The tranquil space under a canopy of leaves became a sun-drenched lawn. It did not take long for the altered environment to inspire entirely new gardening ideas. Injuries and hurricanes have brought unpredictability and change Carol has had to adapt to, and that adaption is the insistence of growth. 

As she revises her garden, she is also revising her painting style.  She is experimenting with how she applies the paint to the surface of the canvas. Even unpainted white areas of canvas express an open expanse that gives sensual lines a place to breathe. Outgrowing the use of manipulated photos, she has discovered her own sensitivity to the beautiful forms of plants.  She is reminded of how a gardener experiments where to plant and how the soil, light, and fertilizer effect the end results. 

Carol has also visited other gardens for ideas and inspiration. Gardens, for her, are poems of sight. Those poems are what she paints. 

Receptions are held Thursday nights before opening

to the public and are for paid members & guests only