Jacksonville International Airport Arts Commission: Abstraction — Bold + Beautiful

Cynthia Walburn’s paintings are smooth and contemplative, resembling pools of water with light shining through. Walburn creates shadows that feel as though they could glimmer in the corner of your eye. She is constantly inspired by nature, and uses painting as a personal meditation. Born in Southern California and growing up in South Florida, Walburn has always lived near the water. She is inspired by the way light reflects off the water, how sunlight affects colors in the sky and the way the wind affects dunes on the beach. Walburn reflects nature in a subtle ways. She paints from a meditative and introspective place, in order to reflect the internal, not the external. “My hope for people looking at the work is that they’ll have their own interpretation and their own experience, and that I’m not dictating what they see,” Walburn says.

Stephanie Cafcules, Haskell Gallery,Jacksonville International Airport Arts Commission A Bold Beautiful Abstractions, Photo from Jen JonesStephanie Cafcules’ installations are mind-bending. In one, a layer of royal blue paint is draped across a table, resembling a glossy tablecloth that might pool into your shoes. Cafcules calls these her paint pours. She lets thick layers of paint dry and then works with it like fabric. Another resembles a glacier, jutting out from a wall. She is diverse and skilled. Her pieces are based on the psychological phenomenon known as pareidolia, in which the mind responds to unfamiliar stimulus by trying to find familiar patterns in it. “Like when you see animals in the clouds or faces on rock formations,” she explains. Cafcules’ only installs her work once she’s allowed to see the space she’ll be working in. At JIA, she’ll be installing one extensive piece. According to Murray, Cafcules will create an abstract wonderland, as it will be the corner of the L-shaped gallery. Cafcules knows she’ll be using wire mesh screen, but other than that doesn’t know what she’s going to create. A preview of her idea is bright blue, coiled, and ribbon-like. It’s a material not seen on her website, so the exhibit will be a completely new side of Cafcules. She hopes the exhibit will offer travelers a different perspective. “Maybe one of these pieces will open their minds a little bit more. Because I know non-representational and abstract is not necessarily for everybody,” she says. “But all of our pieces complement each other.”