Comfort Through Color: Emily Winesberry & Tim Webb at CityArts

I picked the rainiest day of the season to check out CityArts, but once I ducked through the door, the main gallery felt like a warm, colorful cave. The art center is currently home to the exhibition “Itunu Resting Place,” which features work by artists Emily Winesberry and Tim Webb. Itunu is the Yoruba word for “comfort,” and according to the exhibition text “Itunu” aims to provide a sense of calm to viewers as they explore the relationship between the hues and patterns artists use.

Curator Anthony Joiner of Mulberry Art Gallery mindfully assembled a show that draws visitors in with color and form. It keeps you lingering over the detail and techniques amid the dramatic gallery lighting. Webb and Winesberry provide very different but skillful examples of what playing with composition can mean while creating a sense of comfort. Their works not only beckon from across the room, they ask to be studied up close.

Tim Webb’s abstract work “Glorious Awakenings” appealed to me with its almost optical-illusion quality, created by colors radiating from a central point. He uses black and purple undertones highlighted by muted reds, blues, and yellows, with a large swath of white singing soprano. In a chaotic image, Webb manages to create movement and order. The white and blue direct the eye inward, and the wisped brushstrokes evoke the downy quality of feathers, which contribute to the softness of the piece.

In a different approach, Emily Winesberry’s “Submerged” addresses color and pattern with a hint of whimsy. Nestled in a crowd of red grapes sits the head and shoulders portion of a green bell pepper, of all things. Winesberry manages to reference the high-art use of human form in this humble vegetable by emphasizing its curves in a cheeky yet concealed way. She leads the viewer’s eye toward it amid the curtain of purple spheres, which, in turn, have their own dynamic and luminous quality. The detail work of the grapes and the individual attention the artist pays to each one is captivating. Throughout the gallery, Winesberry’s pieces on the whole create gentle moments of focus that give the viewer a chance to pause, breathe, and appreciate.

In his artist’s statement, Webb says that he works with acrylics, “using their quick-drying nature to harness the immediacy of the moment.” This spirit is evidenced in three of his pieces, “Untamed Spirit,” “Midnight Crescendo,” and “Void to Vision.” These paintings feature the same technique of sweeping a broad brush with multiple colors in quick arcs, and predominantly use blue, white, and a hue between yellow and orange. While the confidence and swiftness is evident, the number of similar pieces in the exhibition left me wondering whether they were exercises in technique as opposed to works engendered with individual emotional depth. 

One painting in “Itunu Resting Place” stopped me in my tracks: Winesberry’s “Yellow Tulip,” which is not only instantly identifiable but also exhibits a careful consideration that goes beyond photorealism. Winesberry’s brushstrokes give the impression that she knows exactly what a tulip is, not just what it looks like, and that she stepped back from the completed painting without agonizing over whether it was finished. The different shades of yellow invoke a happy calm, and Winesberry expertly uses them to convey the delicateness of the tulip’s petals.

“Itunu Resting Place” will be on display at CityArts through December 22, and its dynamic yet uncomplicated comfort make it easy to enjoy. Amid recent social tumult, Joiner offers solace. This colorful cave at CityArts is worth taking the time to experience.

The Details

“Itunu Resting Place," an exhibition of works by Tim Webb and Emily Winesberry
November 1-December 22, 2024 in the Main Gallery at CityArts, 344 Mead St. in Wichita's Old Town Square

Anthony Joiner of Mulberry Art Gallery curated “Itunu Resting Place," which is on view during the art center's regular hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays, and noon-5 p.m. Sundays.

Also on view at CityArts

• An exhibition celebrating Pat O'Connor's recently published book "Wichita Blues: Music in the African American Community" in the Main Hall Gallery
• "Sweet Fantasy" by Sierra Swift and "Comfortably Uncomfortable" by Shelby R. in the Boardroom Gallery
• "Force of Nature" by Tania Pear in the Balcony Gallery

Free

Learn more about current exhibitions on the CityArts website.

Samantha Barrett is an author, fiber artist, nature photographer, and occasional poet. In addition to her short story collection “The Bus to Adventure City,” her work has appeared in Crack the Spine, The Chaffey Review, and GeekSmash.com and has been anthologized in multiple publications from Air & Nothingness Press and Carlow University Press. She is the assistant director of adult programs for Write Pittsburgh and a member of the Kansas Authors Club.

More visual art coverage from the SHOUT

Small worlds: Joanne Price at the Clayton Staples Gallery

In “Illustrated Nature,” the artist uses traditional printmaking processes to reflect on contemporary views of animals and their environments. It’s on view at the Wichita State gallery through November 22.

The SHOUTKevin Kelly

Outside in: street artists Deber and Juju translate their work to canvas for an exhibition at Art House 310

The show is part of the artists’ ongoing efforts to make Wichita a more welcoming place for street and graffiti artists. Their work is on view through November 24.

The SHOUTKate Nance

Bodies at rest: ‘[Re]pose’ at the Ulrich Museum of Art

An exhibition in the museum’s Beren Gallery examines the reclining body over two centuries of art history. It’s on view through December 7.

The SHOUTKrista Vollack

Two kinds of alchemy: Meghan Miller at the E.B. White Gallery and Ann Resnick at the Salina Art Center

In “Dreaming Canopy” and “Tell Me What You Think of Me, Part One: Something to Divine” two very different artists present meditative, deeply engaging work.

The SHOUTEmily Christensen