Katonah Museum Honors Regional Artists

Walk into Kiyoshi Otsuka’s studio (if you can get past the door) and you’ll be reminded of Jackson Pollack. The paint splattered floor is dripped with layers of spattered hues, all of which are colors of paintings past and present. Stacks of work line the walls and fill the overhead shelves making it somewhat of a ritual to gain entry. Otsuka is driven to being prolific. His works are ubiquitous in Westchester, as he shows them in many venues. Most recently he won an honorable mention in a juried exhibition of regional artists at the Katonah Museum of Art on view through February 15. Born in the mountains north of Tokyo in Gumma Prefecture, Japan, Otsuka studied in Paris at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière before moving to New York where he enrolled at the Art Student’s League and studied with Knox Martin. During the day Otsuka works at the New York Botanical Garden, but when the sun sets you can find him in his studio at ArtsWestchester’s landmark building in White Plains. Otsuka’s paintings pulsate with rhythm and energy which may be why MoMA curator Eva Respini found his black and white painting worthy of an honorable mention. So many talented Westchester artists are exhibited in this show, that it’s well worth the visit.  Once there, check out two other well-chosen honorable mentions: Lael Morgan’s shimmering landscape and David Hutchinson’s colorful lines bouncing off a geometric configuration. And, if you are an artist in the show, please post your painting in the comments section.