Felice Koenig (b. 1976)

Felice Koenig’s 3-dimensional paintings explore color and texture in a way that suggests the human body’s vulnerability. Like a microscopic examination of pores and blood vessels, the patterning created in her work can seem overwhelming as one contemplates its complexity. Lushness is achieved through an extensive, almost obsessive layering of paint surfaces that develops a physical depth and sculptural quality. The work creates visual tension as it pulls us in to understand the detail and pushes us away to make sense of the overall abstract composition. Undesired features thus become exquisite in their proliferation; beauty emerges through reinterpretation. —NW