ERICA VHAY
May 24 – June 4, 2022 Jackson Hole Opening Reception | May 26 | 5:30–7:30pm
ERICA VHAY Vhay & Vhay
Jackson Hole | Scottsdale | AltamiraArt.com
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On Her Way Oil on canvas | 60 x 72 inches Enquire
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ERICA VHAY Less about the paint, more about the process: this is the approach Erica Vhay finds herself adopting at this moment. Letting the steps surface, she starts with a wash of paint, a gesture that effortlessly captures organic grace.
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“It’s reminiscent of the earth and the perfect, uncontrolled beauty of nature,” she says. Then, by painting a controlled figurative image atop the wash, she explores the relationship between humans and nature. In this juxtaposition, she hopes to stir existential questions: “How often do we truly connect to that natural perfection, and let it become a large part of our lives and what we create?” Washes have always been an important initial step in her process, but never so evidenced in the finished painting. Now mindfully building her backgrounds, she’s adding more layers and amplifying the texture. This treatment gives the wash— and its metaphor of nature—greater presence. “There’s a dream-like quality to the background, which contrasts the figure
in the foreground as reality,” she says. “It’s as if nature and our ordered world are overlapping.” Within this juxtaposition, Erica expresses the joy of connection—an awareness she feels acutely post-pandemic. Resolved in their individuality, the paintings emerge as explorations of people in communion with their place in the world. “Each piece plays to its own beat, but there’s an overall sense of relaxation, joy and togetherness in the work. Perhaps this dynamic reflects the silver lining of Covid stress—the realization that people and connection remain the most important aspects of life. The togetherness and re-found joy that I’ve been feeling lately is coming out in the work. Freshness too.”
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Dreams Oil on canvas | 12 x 36 inches Enquire
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Moving Through Oil on canvas | 48 x 72 inches (diptych) Enquire
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Blue Boots Oil on canvas | 36 x 24 inches Enquire
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Coffee This Morning Oil on canvas | 24 x 36 inches Enquire
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Monday Morning Oil on canvas | 60 x 72 inches Enquire
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Yes Please Oil on canvas | 40 x 30 inches Enquire
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Sunday Afternoon Oil on canvas | 60 x 72 inches Enquire
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You and I Oil on canvas | 8 x 8 inches Enquire
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172 Center Street | Jackson WY AltamiraArt.com | 307-739-4700
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