My paintings begin with a visual idea or feeling. I find that the first versions of a particular idea generate their own variations organically, so one piece builds upon another. Thus, early paintings in a particular series become important sources for the paintings that follow.

I regard my paintings as a physical expression of the underlying interconnectedness of all things. Sometimes I feel as if I am making visible the hidden structures that lie just beyond ordinary perception. As a visual artist, I am conscious of a paradox: if there is a beauty that transcends the senses, our only access to it is through the senses.

As I build my images, I am aware of my indebtedness to a wide range of cultural traditions. I continue to draw inspiration from my Amarillo roots. Even as a child I saw beauty in the subtle lines and ever-changing hues of the Palo Duro Canyon. The palette of the Panhandle, seen or unseen, still resonates in my work.

In Japan I was exposed to time-honored, sophisticated uses of the decorative arts. African masks, textiles, and baskets have sensitized me to the interaction of pattern, surface, and texture. I am emboldened by the luminosity of color in Thai silks and Indian embroidery.

I have also been visually and technically inspired by Aboriginal “dream paintings,” which demonstrate the abiding significance of content even in decorative abstraction. These and other multicultural influences, which I embrace as part of our common planetary heritage, continue to nourish my work in conscious and unconscious ways.

Trudy Kraft

Trudy Kraft, originally from Amarillo, Texas, graduated from Hamilton College and trained at the Arts Students League in New York City. During four years of residence in Kyoto, Japan, she studied Japanese painting, woodblock printing, and other traditional genres. She moved to Philadelphia in 1985. Kraft’s paintings have been featured in the Art in Embassies Program, and she was a finalist for a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Work in collections includes: Amarillo Art Museum, Tyler Museum of Art, Bryn Mawr College, Beth Israel Medical Center, St. Christopher’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic, DuPont Corporation, AstraZeneca.

Kraft continues to draw inspiration from her Amarillo roots. Even as a child she saw beauty in the subtle lines and ever-changing hues of the Palo Duro Canyon. The palette of the Panhandle still resonates in her current work.

Trudy Kraft is represented by Gross McCleaf Gallery in Philadelphia. www.trudykraft.com.

Education
1996 Teaching Certification, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, Pa.
1976-79 Arts Students League, New York, N.Y.
1976 B.A., Hamilton College; art major
1974/78 Residency, Rancho Linda Vista, Oracle, Ariz.

Solo Exhibitions
2015 “Avian Ancestors,” Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa.
2013 “Flight Patterns,” Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa.
2011 “Emergence,” Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa.
2009 Jefferson Medical School Library, Philadelphia.Pa.
2008 “Terma Zones,” Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa.
2005 Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa.
2004 Sueno, Telluride, Co.
2004 Show of Hands, Philadelphia, Pa.
2003 Waco Art Center, Waco, Tex.
2003 Kemp Center for the Arts, Wichita Falls, Tex.
2000 Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Tex.
1999 Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo, Tex.
1994 Axis Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa.
Imperial Calcasieu Museum, Lake Charles, La.
1991 Cosmopolitan Club, Philadelphia, Pa.
1980 Amarillo Art Center, Amarillo, Tex.
1984 Oni Gallery, Kyoto, Japan.

Awards
1993 Finalist, Pew Fellowships in the Arts Disciplinary.
1992-4Award, Main Line Art Center, Haverford, Pa.
1990 Award, Kyoto City Museum, Kyoto, Japan.

Group Exhibitions
2017 Cerulean Gallery, Amarillo, Tex. “Crank up the Color.”
2014-6 Norristown Arts Building, Norristown,Pa. “Annual Members’ Exhibit.”
2013 Wayne Art Center, Wayne, Pa. “Attraction to Abstraction.”
2011 Main Line Art Center, Haverford, Pa. “C-3.”
2010 Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa.
2006 Carla Massoni Gallery, Chestertown, Md. “Kaleidoscopic.”
2005 Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, Pa. “Multiplies: Am I Repeating Myself?”
Jurors: Timothy Hawkesworth, Alice Oh, Julia Zagar.
2005 U.S. Ambassador’s Residence. Stockholm, Sweden. “Art in Embassies Program.”
2003 Main Line Art Center, Haverford, Pa. “In Depth.” Jurors: Maida Milone, Bill Scott.
2003 Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, Pa. ”61st Annual Awards PaintingExhibition.” Juror: Dr. Nancy Heller.
2002 Carla Massoni Gallery, Chestertown, Md. “September Gallery Artists.”
2001 The Community Arts Center, Wallingford, Pa. “Abstract.”
2001 Ian Peck Fine Paintings, New York, N.Y. “Hamilton Makes Art.”
2000 Main Line Art Center, Haverford, Pa. “Multiplies.” Juror: Susan Rosenberg.
1999 The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, Pa. “Art of the State: Pennsylvania ’99.”
Juror: James Mahoney.
1998 The Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, N.J. “Transcending the Surface.”
1998 Main Line Art Center, Haverford, Pa. “Works on Paper.” Juror: Anne R. Fabbri.
1996 Gallery of the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pa. “Philadelphia Artists for the Homeless.”
1995 Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, De. “Return to Beauty.” Curator: Anna Francis.
1995 Attic Gallery, Portland, Ore.
1994 Owen Patrick Gallery, Philadelphia, Pa. “Women’s Caucus for Art.” Juror: Dr. Ofelia Garcia.
1994 Stedman Art Gallery, Rutgers University, Camden, N.J. ”National Works on Paper.” Jurors: Faith Ringgold, Elisabeth Sussman.
1994 Main Line Art Center, Haverford, Pa. “Color Now.” Juror: Laura Rosenstock.
1993 Perkins Center for the Arts, Moorestown, N.J.
1990 Kyoto City Museum, Kyoto, Japan.
1990 Mitsukoshi Gallery, Kyoto, Japan.
1990 “Facades Imaginaires.” Grenoble, France.
1987 Cooper-Hewitt Museum Shop, New York, N.Y.
1985 “American Art for the Tea Ceremony.” Duxbury, Mass.
1984 Mercer County College, Mercer, N.J.
1981 American Club, Tokyo, Japan.
1980 Hamilton College, Clinton, N.Y.
1979 Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, N.Y.

Selected Collections
Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo, Tex.
Beth Israel Medical Center, New York, N.Y.
E. I. Dupont de Nemours & Corporation, Wilmington, De.
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
St Rita Hospital, Lima, Oh.
Blank, Rome, Comisky & McCauley, Philadelphia, Pa.
Beneficial Life Insurance, Wilmington, De.
Greenberg, Traurig, Hoffman, Lipoof, Rosen & Quentel, Washington, D.C.
Hackensack Medical Center, Hackensack, N.J.
Center for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, Pa.
Ronald McDonald House, Philadelphia, Pa.`
Tyler Museum of Art, Tyler, Tex.
Women’s Health Research Institute, Texas Tech University, Amarillo, Tex.
The Don and Sybil Harrington Cancer Center, Amarillo, Tex.
William & Uytendale Scott Memorial Study Collection, Bryn Marw College, Bryn Marw, Pa.
Robert M. Rogers Hospice Center, Tyler, Tex.
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, N.Y.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa.
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington, De.

Selected Bibliography
Fallon, Roberta. “Master Kraft.” Philadelphia Weekly, March 16, 2011.
Perricelli, Lynne Moss. “ Art and Nature, Symbol and Pattern.” American Artist, June 14, 2008.
Sozanski, Edward J. “ Looking Eastward.” The Philadelphia Enquirer, June 10, 2005.
Fallon, Roberta. “Kraft Work.” Philadelphia Weekly, January 21, 2004.
Ingals, Hunter. “Kraft Feeds Visual Hunger.” Amarillo Sunday News-Globe, November 14,1999.
Chapin, Courtney. “Transcending the Surface.” Town Topics, July 15, 1998.
Rosen, Jennifer. “World Travel Influences Artist’s Style.” Main Line Life. June1, 1995.
Francis, Anna. “Trudy Kraft.” Art Matters, April 1994.
Rice, Robin. “Kraft Works.” City Paper. March 18-25, 1994.
Larmoth, Jeanie. “Second Wind for the Fan.” Town and Country, vol.141 June 1987.
Louie, Elaine. “Home Beat.” The New York Times. Feb. 26, 1987.
Saint-Gilles, Amaury. “Art: People and Places.” Mainichi Daily News. May 22, 1982.