Review

"Renewal," Acrylic on Canvas.

Jenny Hahn
Intimate Universe

6-10 p.m.
(Opening Reception)

b gallery
Studio b
2016 Main St.
Kansas City, MO
816.994.8995

Hours: First Fridays, 6-10 p.m., First Saturdays, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and by appointment
Runs through: May 1.

Artist's site: http://www.jenspaintings.com

It might be hard to believe, given the nasty conditions of recent First Fridays, but the weather is supposed to be gorgeous for tonight's round of gallery openings.

And with spring finally on the threshold, how could I not feature a painting called Renewal?

Okay, so Jenny Hahn was speaking of an inner regeneration ... but it's still nice to see the season beginning to change, after this long frigid winter. And the painting itself is loaded with images of cyclical nature, from the dominant triad of leaves to the profusion of circles.

Renewal is among the works in Hahn's show Intimate Universe, which opens tonight (with a reception from 6-10 p.m.) and runs for two months at b gallery in the Crossroads' Studio B.

True to Hahn's inspiration and influences — her written list includes meditation practice, yoga, biology, sacred geometry, Gnostic wisdom, and Expressionistic painters throughout history — the paintings in Intimate Universe are suffused with qualities both bold and meditative.

Her palette is bright; her strokes, strong; her compositions and subjects, calmed and calming.

Painting is my connection to the mystery, Hahn writes. It's a form of meditation. When I show up to the canvas, I am aware of a profound creative energy over which I have little control, but through which I am continually humbled and amazed when I let go and 'trust the process'. I feel that I am co-creating with a force greater than myself. The work is inspired by the awakening process and is largely informed by meditation practice. My intention is that the work will speak to the viewer on a profound, soul level.

Getting others to resonate with one's own creative frequency is always a challenge, especially when the creative process is driven by something as intensely personal as belief and practice.

Hahn's Intimate Universe is a welcoming place, though ... and more than worthy of a visit on a warm(er), almost-spring night.