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Kathryn Markel Fine Arts in Bridgehampton is opening an exhibition on July 12 entitled “New Work by Marilla Palmer and Sarah Irvin.”
Sarah Irvin creates dynamic, rich images that contain an activated freshness while ruminating on the strength and limitations of language and memory. Her process for her ink series reflects the shifting nature of memory, the evolution of language how its dependability can be lost over time. She begins with ink and a non-absorbent Yupo paper, writing words and phrases thickly in expressive cursive. Ms. Irvin then uses squeegees to destroy the words, allowing the ink to slip and spread across the paper, forming new marks. Remnants of words remain, but their meaning can’t be deciphered. It’s as if destroying the words has left only the feeling of the moment or concept they described.
There is an inextricable connection between nature and the work of Marilla Palmer in inspiration, process, and concept. Her mixed media pieces blur the distinction between the organic and artifice, using dried foliage and scavenged detritus alongside synthetic materials to enrich rendered paintings of branches and flowers. In Ms. Palmer’s studio, leaves and petals that have been gathered from her garden are pressed, wings are collected from dead insects and mushrooms are gathered to make spore prints. These elements sneak into the work among drawn shadows of branches and watercolor florals, often nearly undetectable until after careful inspection. Then, she brings a touch of glamour with lush fabrics, sequins, and glitter, adding a celebratory level of additional beauty.
Sarah Irvin holds a BA from University of Georgia and an MFA from George Mason University (2016). Her work is found in both private and corporate collections. Marilla Palmer lives and works in Brooklyn and has shown extensively throughout the United States. She received her BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art.
The show remains on view through July 22. Kathryn Markel Fine Arts is located at 2416 Montauk Highway in Bridgehampton. Visit markelfinearts.com for more information.
Staff Writer on Jul 2, 2019