August 11– October 17, 2013
Reception and Artist Lecture Saturday, August 10, 5– 7:30 pm
Coyle discovered her talent for painting portraits in 2010 and wished to use her gift to create culturally meaningful work. Her friend, Kyn Tolson, was working in Haiti documenting the Haitian people and their environs. After viewing Tolson’s images, Coyle was moved to use some of Tolson’s photographs as a jumping off point for her portraits. Coyle’s focus became painting the faces of the Haitian people affected by their country’s difficulties, especially after the earthquake (January 2010).
Coyle’s process uses prayer to build her images little by little. She paints the face first, then regularly employs artistic license to construct the environs. Coyle’s hope is that the portraits will “speak” to viewers, just as if the person is standing in the same space as the viewer. She wants the viewers to listen and hear the stories of the Haitian people.
