Green River (SOLD)
14” x 14”
Oil, Collage, and Acrylic Interference on Board
Queen’s Anne’s Lace, Lilies, And Lady Bug (SOLD)
26” x 38”
Oil And Acrylic Interference On Canvas
Tiny Monster #1 (SOLD)
16’ x 16”
Collage, Acrylic Interference, Oil On Board
Back Deck #1, 13.5" x 13.5", Gouache And Oil On Paper With Beeswax
"This past year has been a time of isolation and self-reflection which has led to both a continuation and new exploration.
I paint from my surroundings, and as I am now quarantined in a place of great natural beauty, I have found meaning in the mysterious things and moments I see in my own backyard."
- Perky Edgerton
Pioneer, 8" x 8", Gouache On Paper With Beeswax
Perky Edgerton’s recent show, Far and Near, reflects time she has spent in Kandy, Sri Lanka; Samos, Greece; Swarthmore, Pennsylvania; and most recently her new residence in the Berkshires. For Edgerton, returning to her childhood home in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where her father was a professor of art History at Williams College, triggered flashbacks and memories of previous travels and places where the artist has lived and worked. In this group of paintings, the artist reflects on the phenomenon that our backyards, whether in exotic locations or in places that are more ordinary, acquire familiarity and comfort and become “home” over time. Beauty in the unexpected is always the domain of the artist and memories and observation combine to create rich and diverse subject matter for an exhibition that will fulfill current needs to see beyond our communal isolation.
Edgerton’s work evolves slowly and organically as she layers paint on paint, and creates textures through the use of collage and printing. Her jewel-like colors shine with an inner light, as if emerging from the depths of the painting surface. The most domestic subject matter is transformed into a mysterious playground for flora and fauna. The viewer’s eye wants to travel into the artist’s world and discover her very unique way of seeing.
Edgerton received her BFA from Boston University and MFA from the Tyler School of Art.
Gross McCleaf Gallery is pleased to present Lost In The Woods, a solo exhibition of new works by Perky Edgerton. This marks Edgerton’s fourth exhibition with the gallery, featuring paintings that delve into the hidden qualities of natural places. The rural mountains of western Massachusetts where she resides are a powerful influence, with their textures, light, and sensations informing how she builds her landscapes. Edgerton says, “The light is so clear and strong that it looks like spotlights,” Edgerton continues, “I want these woody interiors to feel inhabited…to present an intimate view, seeking a feeling of enclosure and secrecy.”
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Long before recorded history, humans identified divinity in the natural world. Across the globe, cave paintings and petroglyphs represent the land, the animals and the supernatural. Prehistoric burial mounds and henges of Northern Europe align with equinoxes and solstices. At Newgrange in Ireland, decorated stone carvings record the phases of the moon and depict rays emerging over the horizon at sunrise. Contemporary viewers can only infer the exact meanings of these monumental relics, etched with waves, spirals and diamonds juxtaposed with recognizable imagery.
As contemporary innovation, architecture, technology and design increasingly position each person as the master of their own exclusive universe, the artists in Concerning The Spiritual In Landscape have humbly venerated the life-giving light, ever-present matter and perpetual cycles of nature that bring forth all things.
