Miami Art Group Gallery, LLC

It is sculpture.

There is copper and there is color.

Using pigments on loan from the Earth and manipulated only enough to mate with bare copper, Kitchens’ sculptures are as much alchemy as artwork. The copper body of the piece was birthed at purifying temperatures we would not survive. There is force, application, examination, fusion and kinetic communication in James’ diligent pursuit of his work. An expert in patina and pigment, he carefully tested and chose from a planet’s worth of colors to find the ones best suited for this expression.

If the blue reminds you of Mexico, you’re right. That green earth pigment speaks volumes because the olive grove it was plucked out of has been the subject of political turmoil more than once. Here, it is old science: indigo extracts mixed with white clay– a Mayan recipe which has proven its color-fastness; hematite reds and purples with a foot in prehistoric Egypt and present-day Moroccan iron mines; pure gold in a powder form to best temper consistency and hue with its innate brilliance. There are ochres, umbers and siennas, excavated from the ground and roasted to deepen their color; vegetable pigments and charcoals – derived and collected directly from nature.

It is with these terrestrial elements that Kitchens creates sculpture. It could be done easier, with more assistance or efficiency… but there is nothing frugal about his process. It is the synthesis of conception, skill and an erudite aesthetic. It is a respect for materials and techniques which represent ages of chemical, agricultural and geological human history. It is worth all the trouble.

The pieces engender an emotional response this way, and they resound in quiet rooms if you get to know them. Look closely, step away sidelong, stare and listen to your instincts – none of us are so far from the Earth that we have lost the ability to communicate directly with it. These pieces forge that sort of relationship between their numerous components and, of course, with you.