Karen Kemp

Karen Kemp is a painter and printmaker whose latest work is on exhibit at JP's through Thursday.

Although she has used landscapes and still lifes as her subjects, Kemp's current show at the Hallway is mostly of animals.   Images of birds and dogs decorate the narrow gallery's walls. 

"I love the shape of pugs," "she said.  "And I love birds."

Kemp obligingly brought along some of the tools of her trade to explain the printmaking process used to make her etchings.  She showed me a small, four-inch square metal plate that she used to create her "Nuthatch" series.  The acid-etched plate bore the image of a bird, fluidly and confidently drawn.

"For me, it's a comfortable scale," she noted.

As she explained, Kemp begins with a metal plate that is covered with an acid-resistant coating. The design is drawn in the hard-ground layer, exposing the metal surface.  Subsequently, she places the plate in a bath of nitric acid to eat away the exposed areas.  She then rubs ink into the etched lines and puts the plate through a press to print.  In her "Nuthatch" and other series, Kemp also utilizes a technique called "chine collé." 

"It's an ancient process," she told me.  After the plate is prepared, she applies tissue or origami paper.  When it is put through the press, the decorative papers adhere to the final ragprint paper.  In this way, Kemp's deftly drawn birds are able to inhabit a limitless number of beautiful gardens.

All of Kemp's etchings are original, hand-pulled, signed, and numbered in editions between 50 to 100 prints.

The artist is also showing a selection of oil paintings of cupcakes from her "Sugar Rush" series at the Hallway Gallery.  The cupcakes were painted from pastries that she bought at .

Originally from Long Island, Kemp studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, the University of New Hampshire, Prato, Italy, and the Vermont Studio Center, where she received a painting fellowship. 

"I guess being an artist is in my genes," she remarked.  "My grandfather was a craftsman and my mother is a printmaker."

She cited Bill Jensen, Giorgio Morandi, Wayne Thiebaud and Alice Neel, as some of the artists whose work she admires.

"But there's an infinite list," she said.

Kemp lived in Washington, D.C., before moving to JP, where she maintains a studio in the Brookside area. 

"JP is a fabulous artistic climate," she said.  "There are a lot of artists here and they're very supportive."

Karen Kemp's artwork will be on display at the Hallway Gallery until Dec. 23.  (617-818-5996) is located at 66a South Street.  Hours are Thursday 4-8 p.m, Friday/Saturday 11-7 p.m., Sunday 12-4 p.m. & by appointment.