A Place by the Ocean 2002

Bo Bartlett conjured this scene with oil on canvas, and I can almost smell the oil paint. The woman, in a state of dreamy repose, looks out at us, as if emerging from the depths of her own thoughts. How has the artist brought this into being, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition? I sympathize with Bartlett, as a fellow painter—he probably stood back from the canvas again and again, adjusting the fall of light. The surface is smooth, almost porcelain-like, especially on the woman's skin. But then you notice the heavy impasto of the blanket, and the contrast is really wonderful. It’s interesting how a painter like Bartlett and a painter like, say, Fairfield Porter, who painted similar scenes of domesticity, were in an ongoing conversation across time, inspiring one another. "A Place by the Ocean" is an embodied expression that embraces ambiguity. This allows multiple interpretations and meanings to emerge.