b. 1991
Lydia Kinney is a painter working in structured and layered abstraction. Based in Greenfield, Massachusetts, with her husband and cat, Lydia exhibits work throughout New England. Lydia is an honored BFA graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Lydia is represented by School House Gallery in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
“Part drawing, part painting, part sculpture, and part collage – these works deviate from my usual painting process of responsive layering and incorporate a more direct, literal means of image building. There is something funny about taking a direct gesture, isolating it, and accumulating them to form a geometrically constrained object. They’re a multi-method exploration of limiting movement.”
Q. If you could offer your younger self any advice at the start of your artistic career, what would it be?”
A. “It’s worth the time it will take. I remember feeling so assured by the work I made when I got my bachelor’s. It was hard to see at the time that while I had a fine portfolio, that time in academia was meant for building a sustainable practice and my own growth. The work gets better as you continue to make it. Recognition takes time. Talk to people. Talk to other artists. The isolated studio practice is a myth. I used to be so frustrated that I couldn’t have a finished painting outbox and a check inbox. Now I can feel the value of engaging with fellow artists, curators, collectors, et cetera. It feeds the work!”