Solace on the Hill 2022

Carrie Graber made this painting, Solace on the Hill, with a real sense of patience, layering thin glazes of color to build up these subtly glowing surfaces. It's like she's trying to catch the light just so, in a way that feels both realistic and totally dreamy. Look at the pool and the sky, how they almost blend together, a haze of blues and greens. The paint is so smooth, it's like a photograph, but then you notice the edges, the way the colors bleed into each other, and you realize it's all built up by hand, each stroke carefully placed. And the figure in the foreground is so enigmatic, she could be anyone, lost in her own thoughts. This reminds me a little of Alex Katz, in the way he captures a certain kind of modern coolness, but Graber adds this extra layer of introspection. I love that paintings like this can hold so many different moods at once, a bit of sadness, a bit of hope, and a whole lot of mystery.