Molly Herman: Of Earth and Air

Exhibition Dates: November 24 – December 30, 2020

Reception: Thursday, december 3, 5pm - 8pm

The Painting Center is pleased to present Of Earth and Air, an exhibition of recent work by Molly Herman in the Main Gallery. This solo exhibition of paintings by Molly Herman delves into the atmospheric, allowing color and light to lead along with layers of gestural brush-work and textural printed techniques. These paintings are about painting with nature as catalyst.

As Herman says, “A painting is a scrim between the artist and the world – it is my way to process the tumult of our time.”  In this age of anxiety with the pandemic literally looming in the air, as well as social, economic and environmental upheaval, Herman began “seeking and sifting” as she calls her open approach toward creating a painting.  Stating, “In my studio, it has been impossible to blot out the news and even looking to the familiar inspiration of ‘Landscape’ usually a source of solace, now feels burdened under crisis.” 

With these paintings, Herman invites meditation of the metaphorical via the material. Oil and water-based pigments collide to resist and occasionally emulsify as she re-imagines possibilities and worlds through her “scrims.”

Molly Herman was born in Washington, DC and received an MFA from the School of Visual Arts additionally she received a Boynton Fellowship Grant from Vermont Studio Center and a Lifetime Arts Grant from Brooklyn Central Library. Herman has exhibited widely and her work is in many important collections including that of Larry Poons and Paula DeLuccia, George Faber, Counsel General of Luxembourg; Intuit Inc., Mountain View, CA., Kansas City University, and MicroWorld Ltd.. Tokyo, Japan.  Additionally, her paintings received a feature credit in the Academy Award winning movie, Still Alice. 

Over her career, Herman has exhibited at many venues including National Arts Club, in Manhattan; Amy Simon Fine Art, Westport, CT; John Davis Gallery in Hudson, NY; Dolby Chadwick San Francisco, CA; Sherry Leedy Contemporary, Kansas City, Mo.; Galerie Look and Listen, St. Chamas, France; and Holland Tunnel Gallery in Paros, Greece, among many others. Recently, Herman’s work was included in an extensive four-person exhibition at Second Street Gallery in Charlottesville, VA, which celebrated the artistic influence and legacy of Joan Mitchell. Molly Herman currently lives and works in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY.          

For more information on the artist, please visit www.mollyherman.com.