Expeditionary Art Opening

We saw Maria Coryell-Martin's haunting, ghostly paintings in the lobby at Benyaroya Hall after Elizabeth Kolbert's talk this week, and were instantly drawn to a collection of small watercolor landscapes entitled "Greenland Suite." We were struck by how reminiscent her work was of abstract desert landscapes, despite all the ice and snow, and as we were scribbling down the artist's name and scheming to get a few prints for Xmas presents, she popped up next to our shoulder. We chatted about how Greenland is really just an immense, cold desert and Maria explained what "expeditionary art" is. The short version: this woman has watched a lot of ice melt.

She's been on all seven continents, and for the watercolor series we were coveting, she was artist in residence at the Upernavik Museum in Greenland from May to June 2005. She's hopped ships to Antarctica and visited villages in Tibet; her travels infuse her work, which is beautiful, vast, and yet at times stunningly solitary. Maria is showing a collection of her work at the Race In Gallery in Wallingford, with an opening reception this evening. Unless you consider Stone Way to be the far northern reaches, it shouldn't be too much of a trek.

High Latitudes
December 8-December 22
Reception Friday, December 8, 6-9pm
Race In Showroom
3425 Stoneway NE

Image: Shadows, Maria Coryell-Martin, 2005.