Artist Reception: Friday, August 29, 5–7 p.m.

Abstracted forms and geometric grids coalesce in Jesse Blanchard’s beguiling mixed media pieces. Opening August 29 with an Artist Reception from 5 – 7 pm, and on view through September 21, 2014, Amalgams of Color, the latest exhibition of Blanchard’s work, is filled with satisfying combinations of mellow pastels and more vibrant hues amassed in a mix of softly abstracted forms, straight-edged geometric shapes, and whispers of landscape or place.

With his characteristic playfulness, Blanchard evokes a sense of charm and nostalgia from sophisticated explorations of texture and color. Using an array of collage techniques, including sewn and encaustic elements, and impastoed paper and cloth, he physically builds up layers of history much the way each piece is metaphorically compounded by the viewers’ personal references, as well as the artist’s own. His distinctive combination of traditional craft skills and high art techniques achieve what Blanchard calls “a compilation of ideas and textures.”

The perfectly imperfect nature of Blanchard’s collaged and painted works reflect his interest in “the idea of looking through or past something – so often in the world we can look at the horizon and see the beauty of it, not realizing our eyes strain out the imperfections. I am interested in including all of it…”

An established artist whose work has been extensively exhibited nationwide, Jesse Blanchard masterfully recalls a sense of time and place with his interpretive, often dream-like compositions. His evocative compositions have garnered national and international attention, and his work has found permanent incorporation in a variety of private and public collections.