Perky Edgerton
North Woods, 42” x 60”, Charcoal, Acrylic Interference, On Paper Mounted On Board
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,”. She continues, “I want these woody interiors to feel inhabited…to present an intimate view, seeking a feeling of enclosure and secrecy.”
Known for her intricate and layered approach to painting, Edgerton’s dynamic use of materials embraces both fluidity and deep contemplation. Her work is also intertwined with her lifelong love of literature. “I admire how writers craft fiction, what is observed from life and what is left out, and how those chosen details mold the mood of the story,” she reflects. Her process is marked by an openness to change: “I make spontaneous decisions; scrape paint off and start over—change until the very end.” It is this engagement with the surface that allows her to ‘journey’ through each piece, uncovering the core narrative. Edgerton continues, “Each layer in the painting becomes part of its history, making the final work a multidimensional story itself.”
Winter Crows, 42” x 31”, Oil On Canvas
Lost In The Woods builds on Edgerton’s long-standing fascination with the mysteries of a forest. In Wahconah Falls and Green River, Edgerton weaves complex botanical imagery with embedded textural designs, presenting viewers with a kaleidoscope of life. Intriguing, darker elements are present in works such as Gloaming and North Woods, where her use of translucent glazes and atmospheric blending brings a tense, dreamlike quality to the forest. In Winter Crows, the viewer is drawn into a snowy landscape where crows gather, their movement hinting at subtle clues of an unseen disturbance.
Edgerton’s exhibition invites us to explore her world where each painting is an unfolding narrative. Viewers are not merely witnessing a moment, but sharing in the expansive possibilities of suspended reality, becoming part of a magical story.
Perky Edgerton received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University and her Masters of Fine Arts from Tyler School of Art. She taught in the University of Pennsylvania for several years, retiring in 2019. She now lives in the northern Berkshire of western Massachusetts. She has been the recipient of multiple fellowships and grants, notably, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, two Pennsylvania Council for the Arts grants, the Walter Murch Scholarship to Skowhegan, and the Skowhegan Drawing Purchase Prize.
Edgerton has been working in painting and drawing for nearly 50 years. She has exhibited her works through numerous one person and group exhibitions throughout the United States. Edgerton has traveled extensively, circumnavigating the globe on the Semester at Sea program, a year living in Sri Lanka, two years in Italy, and three separate years living in Mexico. In addition to her work in painting, Perky Edgerton is also the illustrator of two books of children’s fiction, published by Duttons Children's Division of Penguin/Puttnam, entitled Pipiolo and The Roof Dogs and Bravo, Tavo.
Interior Life, 40" x 60", Oil And Collage On Canvas
