Winston Wächter Fine Art, New York is pleased to announce an exhibition of new paintings by Erin Parish. Deliberately apolitical, these subtly layered works of resin and paint offer a sense of quietude and depth, a contemplative refuge from the rush of daily life.
The circle, an organic and meditative shape, is essential to Parish’s work. The artist begins with a layer of expressive abstraction, often by dripping paint directly onto the canvas or panel. As the work evolves, order is created within layers of geometric shapes, while elements of chaos remain visible. Overlapping spheres develop new shapes, creating tension between layers of light and dark, precision and wildness. This technique of formal collapse and layering allows the viewer to ponder the various meanings within seemingly simple geometric forms. The circle, for example, can represent many things, from cosmic objects to cycles of life.
Parish’s beautifully balanced paintings heighten awareness of non-visual senses of life – the smell of earth, the feeling of sunshine, the chirp of crickets or the hum of bees. An alternative to the bombardment of information we receive through technology, Parish presents a quieter, more pensive world, evocative of mundane yet beautiful details in nature. The title, Preferred Reality Option #108, reflects the Buddhist concept that there are 108 paths to enlightenment, and suggests that all other paths may be exhausted. The desire to construct one’s own reality has distanced humanity from nature. Parish’s delicate layers of organic shapes and colors require viewers to be fully present and to look closely, if only for a moment.
Erin Parish currently works and resides in Miami Beach. She has studied at Bennington College in Vermont and Queens College in New York. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, and featured in publications including the New York Times, Luxe Magazine, and BOMB Magazine.
