Meet abstract artist Kathleen Mooney

Lowell woman opens solo fine art Gallery 318

Renowned artist Kathleen Mooney has opened her own solo gallery, Art Gallery 318 located in the executive suite of the former Superior Furniture building on East Main Street.

Mooney is the former owner of seven years of Fire and Water Art also based in Lowell.

“I wanted to stay in Lowell because of the vibrant artist community,” she said. “My former gallery was cavernous. Here it is a perfect combination of wall space for large paintings.”

Walking through the gallery with Mooney, it had a nice, comfortable feeling just like at home. She even brought in her amazing collection of rocks set in an outdoors fire pit.

“I want people to feel comfortable here and envision the painting at home,” she said. “This is all about the relationship with the purchaser.”

And Mooney prefers to paint big acrylics as in her most recent series inspired by Gee’s Bend quilting tradition. The large paintings are breathtaking both in color layering and abstract subject matter. The artist always makes a point of inserting ancient symbols into her paintings.

“I sneak in ancient symbols inspired from Ireland, I love them,” she said.

The power of the paintings is in their interconnection. Mooney leaves in her paintings a clue of what the next one is going to be, maybe a symbol, a streak of color, and then picks up on that in the new painting.

“Each one is driven by the color in the last one,” she said.

Mooney is also the owner of Business Solutions, a computer accounting and support reconciliation business.

“I owe all the success to the art,” she said. “It feeds into each other.”

The challenges of going on solo included identifying opportunities, acting on them, and separating from the rest.

“It’s all about who makes it through the filter,” she said.

During the interview, Mooney talked about functionality in art.

“Functionality is throwing things in the corner and then bringing order to it,” she said.

Regardless functionality, Mooney says she has a good sense of “inner harmonies.”

The inner harmonies include having a feeling for color composition, and for a degree of repetition and pattern.

“I am insanely happy and relaxed,” she said. “I am creating some of the strongest, most powerful art work.”

This is how Mooney describes her abstract style:
“Digging deep into the human drive to create what we need to see, I use symbols, color and mark making, Neolithic art and archaeology to form thoughtful and thought provoking abstract paintings.”

Art Gallery 318 is open either by appointment, call (616) 890-1879 or during open houses held every four to six weeks.

The gallery is located 318 East Main, Suite A, Lowell, MI 49331.

Copyright (c) story and photos by Emma Palova EW