Exhibits & Events
Notion Notion Opening Reception
Notion Notion
Featuring: Kathy Davis and Kellianne McCarthy
On view: October 4th – January 12th, 2025
Opening Reception: October 4th, 6p – 8p
Location: The National Apartments, 121 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA, 19106
Click here to RSVP to the reception
Join us for a First Friday Opening Reception for Notion Notion
About the show:
Written by Hanako Chen
Notion Notion consists of works from Artists Kellianne McCarthy and Kathy Davis. Through artists’ use of saturated hues, rich textures, and dynamic compositions, they evoke places that reside both within our world and beyond it—bizarre yet reverent spaces that defy conventional understanding.
Kellianne McCarthy’s approach involves building complex layers using oil, acrylic, spray paint, gold or silver leaf, and collage elements on wood panels. These layered constructions are then methodically sanded and further worked upon in a circular process led by intuition as much as deliberation. Her canvases emerge as dreamlike intersections between concrete reality and surreal imagination—places glimpsed out of the corner of one’s eye but never fully graspable.
Kathy Davis’s non-representational style leverages her fascination with color, mark-making, and the freedom provided by acrylics and watercolors. Her works illustrate an unfettered exploration inspired by influences ranging from natural landscapes to urban graffiti. Her gestural brush strokes convey not just artistic technique but also an exuberant sense of creative liberation—a testament to her journey through various career reinventions.
Their works synthesize elements of our known reality with the fantastical possibilities of parallel realms. The end result is an exhibition that invites viewers to inhabit these evocative spaces where normalcy meets the unconventional; familiar forms meet creative liberation. As you explore “Inviting My Notions to Come to This Parallel World,” may you find yourself immersed in vibrant canvases that challenge perceptions while celebrating the boundless horizons of creativity shared by both McCarthy and Davis.
About Kellianne McCarthy:
Biography:
Kellianne McCarthy works with oil, acrylic, and collage on wood panels. She is known for her saturated color palette and blend of imagery, abstraction, and pattern. She uses those elements to create spaces where the concrete and surreal meet. Influences filtered into her work include the graphic design of Peter Max, the altar pieces produced during the Renaissance, and the ungraspable vastness of the universe. She was born in Philadelphia, PA. She received a BFA in Painting from Moore College of Art and Design in 1992. She is a RN currently working in Philadelphia.
Artist Statement:
Layers of inspiration Content filters in through: lyrics, poetry, sounds, the city Nothing exact but notions. Try to look too hard and I can’t see it. It’s in the corner of my eye.
I'd like to evoke a feeling of a place where the elements of the world we know meet bizarre, reverent spaces that make dream sense.
My working process involves building layers with acrylic paint, spray paint, gold or silver leaf and collage elements. Sanding and then adding more layers. It’s a continual process of adding, subtracting and reacting led by a combination of intuition, accident and deliberation.
About Kathy Davis :
Biography:
Contemporary abstract painter, Kathy Davis, has evolved as an artist through several career reinventions. In many ways, Davis’ paintings are the culmination of the years of training, experience, and inspiration she accumulated as a teacher, a designer and writer of greeting cards, and a business owner.
The sale of her art licensing business in 2019 has reinvigorated Davis’ passion for painting.
Currently, Davis’ painting style is non-representational in nature. Acrylic, watercolor and collage are her preferred media. She is exploring new ground with her love of color and calligraphic mark making. Davis’ paintings have been described as fresh, expressive, thought provoking and uplifting. There is both a sophistication and casualness that give her work wide appeal.
As a lifelong resident of Horsham, PA, Davis has exhibited in juried shows at the Wayne Art Center, Coleman Fine Art, Cerulean Arts Gallery, Capitol Hill Arts League, Abington Art Center and American Greetings Corporate Headquarters. She is currently a member of Muse Gallery in Philadelphia.
Davis’ work is held in many private collections in the U.S.
Artist Statement:
I seek beauty and joy in all things and hope to share that through my work.
For as long as I can remember, I have always felt the urge to create. After many years of working in the commercial design world, I am now immersed in painting in a non-representational way.
Abstract painting provides a new language for me, giving me a voice to express emotions and impressions of my inner and outer world. A sense of curiosity and freedom guides me as I paint intuitively and spontaneously with no prior planning. My painting style ranges from impressionistic observation to abstract expressionism.
I find inspiration all around me. Museums, galleries, graffiti, popular culture, and travels all excite me and inspire my own art. But the natural world is my most profound influence, filling my spirit and feeding my creative soul.
Acrylic, mixed media, and watercolor are my preferred media.
A love of color is evident in my paintings, and my former training as a calligrapher has influenced the gestural mark making that often appears in my work. Freedom and movement in my brush strokes help to illustrate the sense of creative freedom and excitement I’m experiencing from working in a non-representational style.
