In each of Kn Thurlbeck’s mostly large, brooding works, found objects are juxtaposed with a photographic fragment against a broad, empty field of paint. The oil pigment is thinned out so that it runs down a bit after it is applied, suggesting rain on a windowpane. These runnels of paint—primarily black—drip down over both photograph and object, partially obscuring their identity, sometimes exposing portions of unprimed canvas. The effect is to create a dense, moody atmosphere rather than textural weight.

Thurlbeck’s fierce paintings invoke notions of spirituality, self-sacrifice, and dread. Their