

























Moth Wings and Pagodas
ELLSWORTH GALLERY
Nov 12 2021 - Jan 09 2022
In Moth Wings and Pagodas, we are gifted the peculiar, titillating vision artist Peter Harrington has of our world. In his imaginings, reality recedes into a surreal elementalism, where natural and man-made forms rest into one another, flanked by an enveloping blue. As the exhibition title suggests, the soft-hues of moth wings adorn the tops of exquisite pagodas. Though that is not all. These pagodas also appear over whimsically rendered vehicles. Elsewhere, an airplane and a Cholla cactus merge into one. Other plant forms dwarf adobe Catholic churches. By re-contextualizing familiar objects and structures with one-another, a new strangely rational synergy takes place. One is met with a soothing, meditative sensation from these constructions, which become abstracted through their coupling.
Born from an early fascination with totemic imagery, Harrington has spent his life and career creating this personalized spiritual iconography. Paired with his aesthetic influence from the Chicago Imagists, these paintings convey a zen quality with an undercurrent of the eccentric and absurd. One will note this cohesive body of work follows suit with Harrington’s singular pastel palette and fastidious brushwork, which breathes deep and calmly, leaving out unnecessary noise and distraction. Emanating, are peacefully composed scenes and landscapes calling for you to escape into and out of the busied chaos of today's world.