Molly McCracken

Along Soft Trails
acrylic on canvas
42"x 50"

View current paintings by Molly McCracken Kumar

Tweet Molly McCracken Kumar was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She received her MFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2001 and currently works and lives in San Francisco. Her inspiration is derived from nature’s cycles of birth, death and rebirth. Each work has numerous layers of paint which add depth and texture. The images depict states of flux amid biomorphic shapes that burst forth, while other forms remain dormant or hidden. Fluid atmospheres surround the abstract forms of plants and cells, much like the primordial waters from which the cultivation of new life becomes possible. In an exploration of transient experiences, the paintings embrace the permanence of beauty as they metaphorically suggest the renewal of idealized possibilities and the energy of seasonal change. Through the painting process, the artist provides a conduit to a celebrated sensuality resonant with the role of nature’s growth cycle. As a corollary to this overarching cycle, the meticulous layering of paint is ultimately both a celebration of an opening to the present as well as a meditation upon desire. Biography Born Minneapolis, MN, 1969 EDUCATION: San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA Masters of Fine Arts, Painting, May 2001 Honors: Rick Cramer Memorial Scholarship Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA Initial Teacher Certificate, June 1994 Honors: Dean’s List, spring of 93 through spring of 94 Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA Bachelor of Arts in Art History, May 1991 Honors: Distinction in mayor studies SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS “States of Flux,” 425 Market St., San Francisco, CA, January-March 2007 “Springtime,” 50 California, San Francisco, CA, June-July 2005 “An Abstract Garden Path,” 45 Fremont, San Francisco, CA, April-June 2004 “Opening Constraints,” R.B. Stevenson Gallery, San Diego, CA, June-July 2002 Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA, May 2000 BozArt Gallery, Charlottesville, VA, March 1997 SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS "Landscape and Memory", Addington Gallery, Chicago, IL 2008 “Molly McCracken and Cathy Liu,” After Modern Gallery, San Francisco, February-March, 2007 “Open Studios Exhibition,” SomARTS, San Francisco, October, 2006 Art (212) Contemporary Art Fair, New York, NY After Modern Gallery, September 2006 Palette Art, Healdsburg, CA June-July, 2006 “Taste,” Root Division, San Francisco, April, 2006 "Robin Denevan, Molly McCracken, Alexandra Blum" Ligne Roset, San Francisco, CA 2006 “Octopus,” Root Division, San Francisco, CA, November, 2005 “Open Studios Exhibition,” SomARTS, San Francisco, October, 2005 “BURNOFF,” Hespe Gallery, San Francisco, CA, August 2004 “Contemporary Abstracts,” Alameda Art Center, Alameda, CA, August 2004 “Moving Show,” R. B. Stevenson Gallery, San Diego, CA April-May 2004 “ABSTRACTA,” Build Gallery, San Francisco, CA, December 2002 “New Paintings,” The Front Office – Quotidian Gallery, San Francisco, CA, December 2002 “Slack Jaw,” StudioZ.tv, San Francisco, CA, June 2002 “The Group Show,” R.B. Stevenson Gallery, San Diego, CA, April-May 2002 “The Necessary Beauty,” R. B. Stevenson Gallery, San Diego, CA, October-November 2001 “Macro Surface,” Coagula Projects Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, August- September 2001 “Gallery Artists,” Jernigan Wicker Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA, August 2001 “Painter to Painter, 5 New Voices,” R. B. Stevenson Gallery, San Diego, CA, July-August 2001 “Masters of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition,” San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA, May 2001 “Fun Show,” Jernigan Wicker Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA, March 2001 “Home and Garden Show,” Diego Rivera Gallery, San Francisco, CA, February 2001 “Introductions 2000,” Jernigan Wicker Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA, July – August 2000 “Crossroads: Art of Revolution/Art of Rescue,” Walter and McBean Galleries, San Francisco, CA, February 2000 REVIEWS San Diego Union – Tribune, “Entwined in nature,” by Robert L. Pincus, July 11, 2002 San Francisco Examiner, “Striking a Balance,” by Ann Crump, January 10, 2002 San Diego Union – Tribune, “Color Charts,” by Robert L. Pincus, August 16, 2001 Downtown News, “Five New Voices’ speak at R.B. Stevenson Gallery,” by Dawna Bratten, August 23,2001 East Bay EXPRESS, “Introductions exhibition review,” by Lindsey Westbrook, August 4, 2000