Artwork copyright Kathleen Gemberling Adkison. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2023.

August Sweep, 1976

Kathleen Gemberling Adkison
(American, born 1917, died 2010)

Location: Office of Administrative Hearings - Tacoma, Tacoma

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Northwest artist Kathleen Gemberling Adkison created expressive abstract paintings. An avid hiker, her dynamic compositions such as August Sweep were influenced by the natural landscape.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Medical Lake School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Northwest artist Kathleen Gemberling Adkison (1917-2010) created expressive abstract paintings. An avid hiker and mountain climber, her dynamic compositions were influenced by the natural landscape. In her own words, "The insistent life-force or energy expressed by nature in its wondrous plenitude of form and color, its mystery, its surprise and growth cycle are what continue to compel my work." She often placed her canvases flat on the floor, and painted with broad strokes and splattered paint.

Adkison studied art at Cornish Institute in Seattle and was a student of celebrated Northwest artists Mark Tobey and Morris Graves in the 1940s. She was based in Spokane, Eastern Washington since 1948. Her work was the subject of exhibitions and museum surveys throughout her career. She was one of only eight women included in the exhibition "Northwest Art Today" for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair.