Independent Star News, January 3, 1965
“Creative Arts Group Shows Work by Dorothy Kushner” by Jack Carr
The Creative Arts Group is a non-profit organization headquartered in Sierra Madre. Through sponsor donations and a craft shop they provide the financing for several art and craft workshops, and scholarships for those students who qualify and need financial assistance. They also operate a charming and well set up gallery in their adobe building located at 37 E. Montecito, in Sierra Madre.
Through Jan. 14 the Creative Arts Group Gallery presents the work of Dorothy Browdy Kushner, well known local painter. She shows a well rounded and select group of oils, watercolors, and prints.
Mrs. Kushner has a very personal and mature style, which in general falls under the heading semi-abstract. She primarily deals with landscape, seascape, and floral topics. Her outstanding sensitivity to subject, sound technical knowledge, and quick, effortless- appearing brushwork weld themselves together into statements with broad appeal. For those viewers with an incisive intellectual interest, there is a hard-rock sound structural basis, with just enough experimental interplay between linear and solid form. For those with a romantic or emotional inclination, the lush colors and textures are very satisfying. These two vital qualities are interlaced with dexterity. The skeletal design structure is never submerged by the lustrous color or the dancing light and dark patterns.
Herein an age of searching, merely for its own sake, it is always pleasant and exciting to see genuine creative development moving rapidly along, but with total recognizance of the value in each step.
Mrs. Kushner has exhibited widely throughout the United States and is represented in many outstanding collections. In this exhibition two of her recent award wining paintings are on view. One, “Rocas,” received First Award in the Pasadena Society of Artists watercolor category at the Pasadena Art Museum. The other, “Oncoming Storm,” just received an award at the Laguna Beach Art Museum. Both are typical of her approach, strong and compelling.
Among the individual pieces which I found outstanding is “Red Blossoms,” It retains the richness and wholesomeness of all her work but makes use of brash, stimulating color. There is a remarkable plasticity and a broad, seeking, area division. This piece has remarkable stature.
“The Harbor” is exactly that. A group of docked boats. While a traditional and widely used subject, it can still engender a vital statement. Here bold, vertical lines, quieted by succinctly placed area of form, produce a fine example of abstraction. This actually feels like a harbor.
The resonant living quality so often found in an artist’s field sketches is aptly expounded in two small paintings entitled “Early Spring” (oil) and “Flight I” (acrylic). These are purely emotive works, indicating a delighted attitude regarding the subjects.
“The Sea-II” Is not remarkably unique in concept, but is noteworthy for its fluid and rapid use of paint which emits strength while fusing itself into a unified array of rich nuances.
“Rocas,” mentioned earlier, integrates an explosive quality held in check by strong compositional devices. A game is almost played around the picture plane.
Several of the florals – especially “Purple Flowers” – are important for their maintenance of flower feeling, but strong because of their primary concern with abstract principles.
My personal favorite in the show is “Oncoming Storm,” Here intense strain is accomplished by a decided leaning to the right in brushstrokes and the lighter value directional forms, which then are caught and held back by clever placement of dark areas. This painting is insistent, electric and brooding.
