Kenise Barnes Fine Art Animal Drawings and Watercolors

A meticulously rendered group of four moths are the prominent feature of this mandala. Many cultures associate the moth with faith and transformation, their tendency to be drawn to l...

This botanical, insect painting in oil on aluminum depicts a bright green luna moth against a dark background with layered plants, stems and leaves. Fo...

This graphite drawing on Bristol paper depicts a rabbit surrounded by floating bits of dandelions that have gone to seed against a dark black background. Fox's excellent use of material allow her to blend multiple images together, creating a seamless image with layers of narrative complexity. Framed in a solid white float frame. 8 x 8 inches (unframed), 9 7/8 x 9 7/8 inches (framed). Signed, dated and titled on verso. Francine Fox works in many mediums including oil paint, watercolor, gouache, graphite and ink to produce striking and unsettling works of great beauty and psychological complexity. Fox incorporates art historical references, organically composed diagrams and personal and cultural vocabularies into her work. From the artist's statement: "I strive to produce work that is at once both striking and unsettling and intend the compilation of my formal and conceptual elements to parallel and reveal the intricacies of gray areas between seemingly dissonant traits. The gray areas I depict most frequently can be classified as the shared liminal compartments in Venn Diagrams, the middle sections along continuums or circumstances when the correct answer is both yes and no. While it is easier to think and understand in terms of binaries, these types of thought processes tend to oversimplify. The murky places in between are often harder to comprehend, and yet they are also more relatable and interesting because of their complex, confusing, and sometimes unresolved nature. My goal is not to clarify gray areas; rather, I hope to lure viewers into contemplation of the causes of the wonder and discomfort surrounding liminals. My work frequently returns to the gray areas between the themes of physical and metaphysical, evidence and faith, chaos and order, and identity philosophies rooted in either individualism or collectivism. My paintings and drawings create records of the perceived significance and beauty of these transitional spaces through the mediums of graphite, charcoal, watercolor, gouache, oil paint and digital painting. Within my body of work, the imagery includes figures, gently anthropomorphized animals, traditional and contemporary semiotics, and depictions of invisible forces through modified and invented charting symbols. My influences range from Walton Ford, Martin Wittfooth...