"Bloom" at St. John's Boulder Art Gallery

The St. John's Boulder Art Gallery presents new works by Mary Liz Ringer February 5 – March 31. Artist Reception is Feb. 6, 5:30-7:30pm.

"Bloom" is a kinesthetic riot of color on canvases, a collection of scenes inspired by natural forms. It is as though Mary Liz Ringer is channeling the imagery of magical realism with each stroke of her exquisite brush. Like the stories of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Georges Luis Borges, Mary Liz’s paintings are never predictable, not even as they are being created. The Bloom series, she emphasizes, is "inspired by spring, the season of hope, promise, and faith in the restoration of Earth’s balance." Mary Liz’s abstract compositions refer to landscapes and plant life. They are not real plants, says Mary Liz, but "nature-scapes that emerge out of what is hidden or unknown, the search for mystery, for God, if you will." She discovers her subjects by layering paint and carefully constructing forms inspired by nature. Then she begins a process of deconstruction; "I scratch and etch until a true shape emerges." As mysterious as her art is to her and to us, it becomes, in the end, bold and exuberant, life affirming, and very, very real.

The St. John's Boulder Art Gallery is located at 1419 Pine Street, Boulder. Admission is free. Call for hours, which are subject to seasonal changes 303-442-5246.