Above image: Ararat by ​Damian Bellotti, Oil on Canvas, 48x120"

​Extravagant Chemistry,
Anatomies of Painting


On view through
​Sunday, January 15th, 2023

​

Featuring
Artworks by:​

• Damian Bellotti
• Douglas Breault
• David Clarke
• Christian Drury
• Kathryn Geismar
• Lynette Haggard 
• Ashley Pelletier 
• Jordan Seaberry 
• Leigh Tarentino ​
• Emily Wilker

The Bristol Art Museum announced its next exhibit, Extravagant Chemistry, Anatomies of Painting, on view from Sat., Nov. 5 to Sun., Jan. 15, 2023. The exhibit presents artworks where the artists’ use of materials is either simplified or complicated, all exposing fascinating chemistries and distinctive use of materials. Some paintings are created with thin layering or unexpected color, and others are heavy with impasto or a combination of paint and the addition of other substances. 
The exhibit features artists Damian Bellotti, Douglas Breault. David Clarke, Christian Drury, Kathryn Geismar, Lynette Haggard, Ashley Pelletier, Jordan Seaberry, Leigh Tarentinoand Emily Wilker. An Artist Reception is scheduled for Sun., Nov. 6 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Since paintings are treasured and seemingly important objects to many, Extravagant Chemistry, Anatomies of Painting provides the observer an opportunity to see the explorations that some regional artists are immersed in when creating a painting.
“Contemporary artists make sense of and understand the world while tethered to our fast pace of life, a local and global community, as well as ever-changing technology,” said Mary Dondero, Museum Curator. “As you would expect, these complexities force artists to either embrace or avoid present-day lifestyles and this is reflected in their artwork. We are at a moment in time when artists are extending practices with twists in content, use of complex materials, shifting styles, or efforts to push the idea of painting further than and beyond the long-established conventions.”

When surveying regional contemporary painters a lively community is discovered, filled with sweeping, complex attitudes that range from those who maintain tradition to those who challenge it. This has certainly put the idea that “painting is dead” to rest. 

The exhibit also showcases works that oppose the ideas of conventional content. These paintings are breaking out of the confines of the traditional rectangle frame expanding into three-dimensional space. This changes the expected structure, organization, and anatomy of the image.