SOPHIE LARRIMORE // sunday painting

On view October 20–November 26, 2017
Opening reception Sunday, October 22 (3–5 p.m.)

What’s in a poodle? For Sophie Larrimore, much more is at stake in the paintings on view in Sunday Painting, her first solo exhibition at Nationale, than just images of dogs, and despite the abundant presence of the fluffy animals in the works, these paintings are not just dog paintings. Instead, these pieces incorporate something as mundane as dogs to illuminate a greater exploration into Larrimore’s own artistry. Like a typical nude, a little too out-there, definitely unexpected, the dog provides a blank slate for her to imprint and imbue with rich work that is at once highly individualized but also widely recognizable.

Here Larrimore toys with the nature of form: what it is, what it could be, and ultimately, what it becomes. Combined with color and texture, her mixture of vibrant organic shapes and fun geometric patterns breathe a sense of vitality and exuberance into her paintings. Vaguely reminiscent of the pointillism craze that rocked the art world at the turn of the twentieth century, Larrimore’s newest works require a double, if not triple take to discern all the intricacies on the canvases. Generous in their composition and pliable in their interpretations, they leave much in the hands of the audience to discern for themselves what they are seeing.

Sophie Larrimore (born 1980, Annapolis, MD) received a B.F.A. from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, New York, in 2004. Her work has recently been included in group exhibitions at Honey Ramka, New York, Monya Rowe Gallery, St. Augustine, FL, as well as pop-up shows curated by Austin Lee and Oliver Clegg in Brooklyn, NY, and Corydon Cowansage at Deli Gallery, Queens, NY. Larrimore lives and works in New York.

PRESS & MORE
Sophie Larrimore at Nationale: Glimpses and Sensations, Paul Maziar for Oregon ArtsWatch (November 7, 2017)
Puppy Paintings, Kyle Fitzpatrick for Four & Sons (November 16, 2017)

IMAGES