Virginia Bradley and Chris Malcomson Fall Open Studio

Virginia Bradley and Chris Malcomson host Fall Open Studio Event

11-5 pm – Friday and Saturday, November 25^th and 26^th
234 Long Pond Road, Great Barrington, MA  01230

Artist Reception and Instagram Live @virginiabradleyart – Saturday, November 26^th, 3pm

Contact Virginia Bradley for more information or to arrange a studio visit at  virginiabradleyart@gmail.com or by cell 302 540 3565

This event is free and open to the public.

Painters Virginia Bradley and Chris Malcomson will host an Open Studio during Thanksgiving weekend in Great Barrington at 234 Long Pond Rd at their 1800 sf studio.  Bradley will showcase her newest Corallium Series. Malcomson will be presenting his Signs Series and his Puerto Rico watercolors.

Virginia Bradley is an abstract painter whose work is based in alchemy and the transformation of materials. Her latest series Corallium was inspired by the rejuvenation of the coral reefs in the Playa Santa Bay in southwest Puerto Rico. As recently as 15 years ago, the reefs were almost completely decimated due to pollution and boat traffic. In 2011, the Obama administration undertook an extensive federal project to bring back the coral reefs. Today they are thriving!

Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and essential ecosystems on Earth. Besides supporting more species per unit area than any other marine environment, they also form a barrier that protects coastal land and communities. Swimming and snorkeling among the beautiful coral reefs have embedded the images of the underwater world in Virginia's visual vocabulary. Those images re-emerge in her painting process.

Experimentation with oil paint, sea water, alcohol and other painting mediums in the 95-degree sun create a watery environment in which the paintings form. Heat from the sun acts as a catalyst in coalescing the materials into new images. Physical intervention - like pouring layers of paint onto the canvas, sanding, drawing, adding to & subtracting from the painting surface - is key to the creation of the Corallium Series. Transparent film, canvas and wood panels serve as the foundation of these works. And built on them, materials and interactions mirror nature's own inventive process. All of life has been formed - and transformed - by the water, elements and powerful forces of the sea. This perpetual churning materials both creates the infinite variety of life on earth – and sustains it.

A new series of Studio talks on the Corallium series on Virginia's Youtubechannel. Stephanie Kouloganis spent a day in the studio and they were talking about theinspiration and process going into the work.

Chris Malcomson (www.chrismalcomson.com) is an established British painter who is based in the US.  He has exhibited his work internationally and is included in many public and private collections. He is heavily influenced by Jungian and Transpersonal psychology, the poet Rumi, and icons, which are reflected in his artistic studies of inner landscapes. Each of his paintings showcases spatial balance and harmony, as well as layered colors and pure geometric forms that immerse the viewer in a rich visual realm. Chris ultimately seeks to remind us of the mythological resonance present in our daily lives, and of the psychological and cultural depth that lies beyond what we typically perceive. Chris’s painting now takes on three forms: “I always carry a small notebook, which I use to catch the Muse. It is a place to jot poems, ideas and drawings to which I might add watercolors.

The second are small more formal watercolors, these are pleasing to do in Puerto Rico as they dry so quickly. Lastly are larger abstracts on canvas which go up to about five-foot square. For many of these I have used a fixed form, which allows concentration on colour. Currently I am developing the Signs Series – paintings which consider the resonance of symbols which immerses the viewer in rich visual worlds”.