Featured Artist: Tara Kesner

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Tara Kesner began her career at a "Big 4" accounting firm. Years later, she's found new passion in creating abstracts inspired by her four young daughters. She says of her muses, "My daughters are passionate, wild, kind, free and inherently feminine. I can't help but capture their spirit when painting. Through painting, I would like to introduce you to their youthful energy, individuality, personality, beauty and - at times - anger. I hope to cover your walls in color and fire, as they cover me every day." 

Style and Subject Matter

While Kesner’s methodology has evolved over time, one thing remains constant: her use of bright, bold colors. Each piece is saturated with movement and vibrancy—much like her daughters. In fact, there’s usually an endearing story behind each unique creation. Albeit the remembrance of a nursery wall color or the recollection of a young one getting a hold of lipstick, Kesner’s work offers equal parts style and sentiment. Her nonobjective pieces use line, texture, and pattern to convey emotion and mood.

Similar Artists

Current collectors of David Ma or Scott Hunter may feel a similar connection to Tara’s bold abstracts. Liz Jardine’s bright florals make an excellent complement to Kesner’s pieces as well. Whatever your taste or preference, you’re sure to find something you love in our Downtown Overland Park Gallery.

At Prairiebrooke, we bring the best of the best to Kansas City. We carry dozens of artists from throughout the metro, country, and world. Our team of art professionals can help you find the piece you’ve been dreaming of. Schedule your personal art consultation to get started!

Featured Artist: Cat Tesla

Cat Tesla’s path to becoming an artist is quite different than most others. In the beginning of her career, it was a toss-up between art and science. Tesla began with the latter and obtained a master's degree in human genetics. For 20 years she worked at Emory University seeing patients in genetic clinics. While this wasn’t the final stop on her career path, her time in the medical field helped direct her back to her innate passions—nature and creating.

She says of her career at Emory, “Averaging 500 patients a year, I had a range of experiences.” Her years in genetics, a job which often required parlaying devastating, life-changing news, led her to seek solace in yoga, hiking, and mindful meditation. She eventually decided to pursue her first love, obtaining a degree in graphic design and eventually leaving genetics to further develop her identity in front of the easel.

Style and Subject Matter

The "Chrysalis Series" is an abstraction of nature employing acrylic, inks, graphite, wax crayon, oil pastel, and oil glazes. Tesla begins with an gesture drawing in graphite and wax crayon, then applies translucent layers, more markings, and more paint. She says of her methodology, “In our minds, we know what a hike looks like, or a garden, a meadow, or a waterfall. But what do they feel like? That’s what I try to convey in my painting.” When you see these commanding pieces in person, it’s hard to ignore their invitation into a new understanding of the organic elements surrounding us.

Similar Artists

Tesla’s dreamy ethereal landscapes are a vibrant addition to any space or room. If you like her elemental, surreal texture, you’d also love the dreamy work of California artist, Liz Jardine. For pieces that share Tesla’s feminine glam, consider a mixed media work from Maeve Harris. If you love the natural abstraction of Tesla’s pieces, you’ll admire Noah Desmond’s stunning water gardens. Each artist creates a unique experience that resonates differently with each viewer.

At Prairiebrooke, we’re proud to represent some of the finest artists from throughout the region, nation, and world. Stop by our Downtown Overland Park Gallery to view our wide selection of contemporary art. Schedule your one-on-one consultation to get started!

Featured Artist: Aaron Reichert

Born in the tiny town of Owosso, Michigan, the last day of 1978, Aaron was soon adopted by the Reicherts and raised in Hartland, Michigan. A talented artist from a young age, Reichert made portraits of his personal heroes from history, stage, film, and television.  After graduating high school, he went to Chicago, where he received a BFA from Loyola University with emphasis on theater and sculpture. His journey is filled with art in all forms, and hi s pieces are the perfect representation of his life—layered with details and comprised of intricacies that come together to form a beautiful whole.

Style & Subject Matter

Reichert uses a pallet knife to hew his iconic faces out of passages of black and white. Working without a detailed plan, he paints intuitively, shaping an environment of energy seemingly below the skin of the subject. From a distance, we see a dramatic figure; up close up, we confront a spontaneous orchestration of particles bursting from the canvas. Reichert says of his artistic objective, "I have always been disinclined to explain the work I do, even to myself. Explain too much and the thing dies. I derive the greatest wonder not from definitions, but from maneuvering within mysteries.” As Richard Ford writes, ‘The world is not only stranger than we know but a lot stranger than we CAN know.’ Perhaps when I finish my last painting I will be able to look back and state exactly what I was trying to achieve the whole time, but I hope not."

Similar Artists

While it’s unlikely to find a piece that can hold its own against the elusive precision and striking drama of a Reichert, elements of his work can be found in the work of other artists. Eric Bowers uses the classic black and white color palette to capture simultaneously modern and timeless scenes from throughout the Kansas City area. Julie Hansen shares Reichert’s intuition and creative use of monochromatic strokes in her big, bold colorscapes. If you’re drawn to the movement of Reichert’s pieces, consider an abstract from Wilfred Lang. Whatever your preferences may be, we’re sure to have a piece at the gallery to suit your style.

If your home is in need of art, contact the team at Prairiebrooke. Our design experts are ready to help you through the art buying purchase, from first selection to final installation. Schedule your consultation to get started!