Pot Berry offers a unique take on the American Midwest
Titled by a Detroit-based artist Pat Perry‘s recent works, especially the horrors, can be interpreted in several ways. The word evokes both the exceptional and the dark, which is beautifully reflected in the paintings.
Especially Terrific is the title of the exhibition until October 13 Fort Wayne Museum of Art In Indiana. The exhibit shows daily life in the American Midwest with a focus on small towns and family gatherings. The images in the paintings are reminiscent of photographs taken once and long forgotten.
Calming effect
Perry developed the idea for the series while reading an architecture book that described how harmonious designs can produce a calming effect. “Paintings can work the same way,” he noted. He came across the piece around the same time as a childhood friend’s mother died, a period of grief that reminded him of the hopeful potential of creating art.
He added: “Like paintings, those terrifying parts (version of life.) have become silent. Somehow they are transformed into something strangely peaceful. Painting is about entering your own mental wilderness, facing a monster that you know will devour you, and even if you can’t defeat it, overcoming it by doing something productive and creative.
In addition to smaller works on canvas, Perry recently completed two murals in Buffalo and Knoxville. These resemble collages of photographs and other tangible memories. They refer to the way in which we can recall and organize from the past.
