ERICA VHAY
June 15 – 27, 2020 Jackson Hole Artist Reception | June 18 | 5-8pm
ERICA VHAY Elusive Moments
Jackson Hole | Scottsdale | AltamiraArt.com
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Spring Oil on canvas | 36 x 24 inches Enquire
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ERICA VHAY
Spotlight: Spring My work is often about capturing a moment—a vulnerable moment. Women have usually been my focus, mostly because of the pressure our culture puts on women to be everything: moms, partners, professionals. I try to find moments when women aren’t on task, when they are relaxing, when they occupy a quiet space. Spring is a self-portrait. I’m standing belly exposed, so unselfconscious, looking out the window, wondering how to proceed. There was a door to the left of me, but I took it out and left the canvas blank because I wanted there to be no contextual boundaries or limitations—anything’s possible. It’s a moment of vulnerability, and yet it’s also contemplative and hopeful. We all experience a learning curve, when we ask ourselves: What now? What comes next? It may be comfortable to stay where you are, but you know you must take a leap, in spite of how scary it may seem.
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I like the composition of this piece; it’s not quite as balanced as my other paintings. The figure’s position, far off to the side, accentuates the sense of void, possibility and change. My landscapes capture a moment as well, of sharing space, of moving together. There’s community in these moments, even if no one knows anybody else. Even though the umbrellas obscure some of the figures, they signify the privacy of each person even as they move as a group. There is a sense of all humanity in these
moments. There is a sense of transition— for the individual and the collective. We are navigating such moments together. This body of work epitomizes “spring”— hopeful and new. New beginnings can arise from frustrating and difficult times. I wanted to keep the work intimate and sweet. People need that right now; they are yearning for that human sweetness. I’m an optimist. I get excited thinking about what could be: What will this new norm become? We are living in a moment of possibility. In all of this work, I see hopefulness and renewal.
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A Walk in the Park Oil on canvas | 48 x 60 inches Enquire
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Tea Time Oil on canvas | 36 x 36 inches Enquire
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Black Scarf Oil on canvas | 12 x 6 inches Enquire
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Rain This Morning Oil on canvas | 48 x 60 inches Enquire
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That Sunday Oil on canvas | 40 x 30 inches Enquire
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Home Oil on canvas | 20 x 10 inches Enquire
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April Oil on canvas | 30 x 24 inches Enquire
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Morning Light Oil on canvas | 36 x 24 inches Enquire
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That Song Oil on canvas | 30 x 40 inches Enquire
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A New Day Oil on canvas | 30 x 24 inches Enquire
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172 Center Street | Jackson Hole Wyoming AltamiraArt.com | 307-739-4700
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