Nina Jerome Painting: Drawing with Paint - New Paintings on Exhibit at Elizabeth Moss Gallery, October 8

Thirty paintings will be on exhibit in Falmouth at Elizabeth Moss Gallery from October 8 - November 14, with an opening on October 8 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. Addison landscapes will be paired with work inspired by a residency on Great Spruce Head Island in June. I'm always amazed by the variations in coastline characteristics in Maine and enjoyed discovering new spaces in Penobscot Bay. However, the approach to the landscape is similar in both subjects. My work has evolved toward a more immediate and direct approach with paint, a change from a slower process of transparent layers that I have used in the past.

I draw with paint. I make marks with paint to build the structure of the landscape through their color, direction, and contrast. At close range, one sees the marks and feels the path that my hand has taken across the canvas, building layers that allow previous marks to show beneath the surface. I believe in process, and avoid hiding the steps that I have previously taken beneath a polished surface.

Bickford Point Ledges, 18x24, oil on linen

Detail, Bickford Point Ledges

Witchwood Island, Wahoa Bay, 18x24, oil on linen

Detail, Witchwood Island, Wahoa Bay

In addition to surface, the marks and colors build the structure of a space that becomes more apparent from a distance. I often observe my paintings in a mirror behind me so that I can consider the development of the space as I work. Selective marks seek a balance between surface and space.