“LIGHT/COLOR/SOUNDBATH” by Kelly Bishop

By Yoko Zhu

The Art House in Somerville, which hosts emerging artists, is currently featuring artist Kelly Bishop’s first solo exhibition, Paradise Disentangled, now through July 29.

Paradise Disentangled showcases ten oil paintings, all depicting meditative settings that invite viewers to retreat into. The majority of the paintings include familiar objects, a swing set, a swimming pool, a chair, a cup of tea, a disco ball. These objects, indicators of the scene, are centered amidst the swath of lines of shapes.

There’s a sense of fragmentation in Bishop’s work, though this doesn’t distort the cohesion. Rather, the fragmentation adds depth, contributing to the prismatic visuals. The brushstrokes are mostly visible to the viewer’s eye. In most of Bishop’s paintings, the colorful gradients have discernable paint strokes. Bishop, wearing a blue-and-white toile patterned set, nicknamed her paintings her “mind palaces.” 

In most of Bishop’s paintings, there are spherical orbs present. In LIGHT/COLOR/SOUNDBATH, they are bathing in a swimming pool. In The Generator Room, the orbs are in a conference room. Bishop’s personification of these circular shapes adds an additional dimension to the paintings, only if the viewer is willing to imagine the orbs as fluid, animated entities.

“The Generator Room”

There were pieces I gravitated towards more than others. My favorite painting, Sabbatical in a Tropical Space, which Bishop remarked was a crowd favorite, conjured mental images of a Floridian vacation. The bright pinks are playful. The blues are serene. The purples feel serendipitous. The little chair, teacup, and umbrella are symbols of respite. Perhaps, it is my favorite because I can visualize myself there the easiest.

Eschaton for Two is also an invitation for insertion. The orbs are present again, having a picnic. A bottle of wine is spilled on the checkered blanket. They appear in the middle of something. “Eschaton,” a Greek word for “the final event in a divine plan, the end of the world” provides insight into Bishop’s painting. Bishop’s titles are brilliant and, in some cases, provide a piece to the puzzle.

Out of Bishop’s paintings, I’m the least drawn to The Generator Room. This innate preference is based on the visuals. The colors, which are more toned down, are less eye-catching. This, in itself, is not a bad thing. The Generator Room simply falls last in my Paradise Disentangled line-up.

To me, the core of Bishop’s artistry is not her ability to make her paintings feel real, rather her ability to make them feel alive.

Chase Young Gallery, The Art House, 862 Broadway, Somerville, MA 02144. Hours: Friday – Saturday 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. http://www.chaseyounggallery.com/the-art-house

“Sabbatical in a Tropical Space”

“Eschaton for Two”