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Friday, March 29
The Indiana Daily Student

arts

Kana Handel to exhibit at Pearl and Mable

pearl and Mable

Kana Handel, a painter and illustrator, will exhibit at Pearl and Mable’s grand opening on Friday.

Pearl and Mable is a new gallery located on Kirkwood Avenue.

Erin Marshall, co-owner of the gallery, said Handel’s art is heavily influenced by her Japanese roots.

“Her work is beautiful,” Marshall said. “She is from Tokyo.”

Handel moved to the United States in 1992, according to her website.

She currently lives in Gainesville, Fla., and Marshall said the artist travels around the United States to spread her work.

Marshall said her co-owner, Alex Martin, first found Handel at the Broad Ripple Art Fair in Indianapolis.

“He was impressed with her work,” she said. Intrigued, Marshall said Martin started up a conversation with the artist, which led to Handel’s upcoming exhibit.

It will feature a variety of paintings, all influenced from traditional Japanese art techniques, she said.

Kana Handel works in a variety of mixed media, ranging from milk to ink, according to her website.

Marshall describes Handel’s style as child-like, enchanting and full of bold color.

According to her website, Handel’s technique combines acrylic gouache, an opaque paint similar to watercolor and the traditional Japanese art form sumi-e or “ink painting.”

The sumi ink is ground and painted onto washi paper.

The artist has a history in illustrating children’s books, Marshall said.

“I have been illustrating books and magazines for over 23 years and have worked for numerous Japanese publishing firms that specialize in children’s issues, including Gakken and Shogakukan,” Handel said on her website.

From now through September, Handel will be the only artist whose work will be exhibited at Pearl and Mable.

“We focus on having a single artist at a time,” Marshall said.

Marshall said the gallery generally aims to exhibit work that is fun, provocative and hopefully unlike anything else in Bloomington.

Handel’s work is fun, Marshall said. Children are a common subject in her work and tend to be painted in rougher, more textured brush strokes.

Pearl and Mable will be open in cooperation with the Fourth Street Art Festival hours this weekend from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Handel will also participate in the festival.

“She’s going to have a lot of work in town this weekend,” Marshall said.

Marshall said she is excited to show Handel’s work to Bloomington at Pearl and Mable.

“Oh my gosh,” she said. “We are absolutely thrilled.”

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