"In the Wings" Wood Panel Original Painting and Carving Carved sculpture and painting by Mickey "Kano" Kane (American, 20th century). This wall sculpture features a bold, symmetrical, abstract design, reminiscent of a geological or anatomical cross section. The muted tones and fluid, carved contours of the piece reinforce its organic inspiration. The variety of texture and surface finishing within the piece provide subtle contrast between the different elements. Kano's work is outsider art - characterized by its creation outside the boundaries of mainstream art and often by self-taught or unconventional artists. Outsider art encompasses a diverse range of artists, including self-taught visionaries, psychiatric patients, and those outside the mainstream art world. Titled, signed, and dated on verso: "In the Wings" Kano 94 Panel size: 48"H x 72"W Mickey “Kano” Kane (American, 1939-2002) was born in Illinois and grew up in Sacramento, CA. Kane moved to the Pacific Coast and worked on mixed media panels - which he would refer to as a “Totem” – and detailed collage compositions. His collage work is generally satirical or critical in nature, frequently dealing with themes of money, capitalism, government, power, and debt. By contrast, his “Totem” sculptural work is abstract and free of direct symbolism, focusing instead on the aesthetics of the composition. Original Member, Artist’s Cooperative Gallery Artist’s Statement: The Totem is indicative of the unfolding 21st Century, graphically and metaphorically. It is neither one side nor the other, nor does one side challenge or compete with the other. Each side cooperates and thus enhances the other so that both "sides" transcend that definition into a composition revealing that, indeed, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The Totem reflects the inner harmony that all sides, whether two or two thousand, are striving to manifest in their own inimitable way.