Art Exhibit: Relative Pursuits, Gail Kolflat and Terrill Warrenburg

The upcoming exhibition at the Art Alliance is Relative Pursuits, a special exhibition featuring concurrent solo presentations by local artists Gail Kolflat and Terrill Warrenburg. On view from July 4 through July 22, 2026, the exhibition brings together the work of mother and daughter, offering a rare opportunity to experience two distinct artistic practices connected by family, creativity, and a shared commitment to exploration through paint.

While each artist has developed an independent visual language, Relative Pursuits reveals meaningful points of connection across generations. Both artists embrace process, intuition, and transformation, yet arrive at markedly different outcomes. Together, their works create a dialogue between observation and abstraction, structure and spontaneity, inheritance and individuality.

Gail Kolflat's paintings begin with a spontaneous abstract gesture—an intuitive mark that sets each work in motion. From this foundation, figurative elements gradually emerge through an improvisational process in which abstraction and representation continuously interact. Human figures, architecture, landscapes, and everyday objects populate scenes that feel both familiar and open-ended, inviting viewers to construct their own narratives. Guided by a bold use of color, texture, and pattern, Kolflat's paintings explore social dynamics, shared experiences, and the subtle relationships that connect people to one another. Influenced by sources ranging from textiles and Art Nouveau to Impressionism and modern abstraction, her work reflects a lifelong fascination with the human condition and the visual rhythms of contemporary life.

Born in the Midwest and raised in Winnetka, Illinois, Kolflat earned a BFA with Honors from Parsons School of Design in New York City. Following a successful early career and later a hiatus to raise a family, she returned to painting with renewed focus. Her recent work expands upon longstanding themes with greater depth, confidence, and expressive freedom, resulting in paintings distinguished by their vibrant color and dynamic spatial relationships.

Terrill Warrenburg's paintings emerge through a process-based exploration of repetition, layering, and material interaction. Working primarily with acrylic and mixed media, she embraces the tension between intention and chance, allowing gestures, pours, sanding, and accumulated marks to record time and movement within each surface. Often developed over months or years, her paintings evolve through cycles of revision and renewal, preserving traces of earlier decisions beneath new layers. Through unconventional methods of applying paint—including stamping, pressing, trapping pigment beneath materials, and allowing surfaces to imprint themselves through contact and pressure—Warrenburg creates richly textured works that balance control with unpredictability. Her atmospheric abstractions investigate memory, transformation, and the physical act of making, inviting prolonged looking and reflection.

Warrenburg grew up in Little Silver and received her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Fine Art with minors in Art History and French. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including presentations at The Painting Center, NADA Curated, the Delaware Contemporary, and the Monmouth Museum. Alongside her studio practice, she works at a major gallery in New York and remains actively engaged in the arts community through independent curatorial projects and organizational leadership.

The title Relative Pursuits carries a dual meaning, referencing both the familial relationship between the artists and their parallel dedication to creative practice. Though their artistic approaches differ, the exhibition highlights a shared belief in curiosity, experimentation, and the transformative potential of painting. Together, their works offer a compelling reflection on how artistic sensibilities can be passed between generations while evolving into unique and independent forms.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, July 3, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Exhibition Dates: July 4 – July 22, 2026

Location: The Art Alliance, 33 Monmouth Street, Red Bank, NJ 07701

Gallery Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM, or by appointment

For additional information about Gail Kolflat please visit www.gailkolflat.com

For additional information about Terrill Warrenburg please visit www.terrillwarrenburg.com

Please email terrill.warrenburg@gmail.com for all inquiries