December 21, 2015 | Posted in:Vellum News

Lightner is a painter I’ve been following since I first started Vellum ten years ago. I first saw his painting at the PS 1 Greater New York Show in 2005. Back then it was MOMA and PS 1’s premiere event featuring young emerging artists. I remember Kurt’s painting was large and looked collaged. It was some sort of landscape but in a semi-abstract environment. It was actually painted acrylic on Mylar collaged together to form an image on panel. It was striking and unusual with its mix of translucent forms. I decided to arrange a studio visit and when I arrived there weren’t many paintings, but pieces of Mylar sculpture Kurt had been working on for an installation up at Wave Hill. These consisted of cutout Mylar segments painted green to resemble shrubs and reflective material to add water effect. For the next decade, I watched Kurt produce all types of objects including Mylar paintings and sculpture, outdoor installations and straight up painting on canvas. His focus was on literal and metaphorical interpretations in some using actual entries from his great great grandfather’s diary which he carved into trees and fences. In others, he painted forrestial landscapes and rural architecture taken from the same farm he grew up on. Each piece delicately recording his family’s history and ultimate demise as farmers.

His latest body of work is exquisite paintings of domestic farm houses and figures. Even though Lightner uses acrylic paint, he applies the pigment which looks more from a watercolor palette. They’re hauntingly simple and give off a translucent quality that captures light and shadow. The recent subjects take part in a series called Builders and Growers. It echoes the simple yet powerful presence of those who work with land and structure. Form-wise they are block-like and eventually turn into another collection of wooden sculptures low to the ground called Workers. Perhaps oddly similar to small chairs and tables, in some ways they can be seen as cutout versions of the recent paper and canvas figures. In a sense they are these paintings come to life and stylized to preserve the integrity of the medium. Lightner has always said he was a ‘failed sculptor’ because he excelled more in painting than sculpture. His latest pieces are a testament to his ongoing desire and become a charming and significant addition to his body of work.