Paradise 2017

Bernadette Resha’s 'Paradise' is a dreamscape painted in soft watercolor washes and graphic lines. Imagine Resha, leaning over the page, coaxing these dreamy flowers into being. There's a definite push-and-pull between observation and design. The pink water lily and the surrounding greenery are painted with careful attention, yet everything is divided by thick, horizontal bands. Those flat bars create depth by dividing the space into sections, almost like theater flats. It feels like a stage set, where the natural world meets the constructed one. I keep thinking about Lois Dodd and her paintings of windows. They were also interested in the combination of geometric shapes with views of the real world. Artists are always having a dialogue with each other and with the world. Resha shows us her own version of paradise, full of quirky combinations and painterly surprise.