SEA OF STORIES
Caroline Coolidge Brown and Caroline Chen

September 3 - 26, 2021

Opening Reception: 
Friday, September 10, 2021 | 5 - 9 PM

“Different parts of the Ocean contained different sorts of stories, and as all the stories that had ever been told and many that were still in the process of being invented could be found here, the Ocean of the Streams of Story was in fact the biggest library in the universe. And because the stories were held here in fluid form, they retained the ability to change, to become new versions of themselves, to join up with other stories and so become yet other stories; so that unlike a library of books, the Ocean of the Streams of Story was much more than a storeroom of yarns. It was not dead, but alive.” ― Salman Rushdie, Haroun and the Sea of Stories

The artwork in this show will take you on an adventure to the bottom of the sea, into the sky, across soulful, windswept moors and between the pages of a good story.

Caroline Coolidge Brown began these mixed media pieces as an exploration of moon phases and tides when her imagination took her away from the 2020 quarantine and back to a warm sandy beach. She dreamed of scuba diving tropical reefs; she envisioned cranky pelicans, fierce lobsters and delicately floating jellyfish.

Brown’s art process starts with printing monotypes full of background color and texture, often incorporating layers of etching or collograph prints. After deciding who will become the hero of each piece, she uses hand-painted and found papers to build up a rich collage image. As a creature’s character becomes revealed in the tiny layers of ink, paint and paper, their story slowly emerges.

Caroline Chen wanted to explore story as a springboard for this series of paintings, inspired by Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. “Developing visual characters provided a different kind of immersion into the story. The characters began to take form and evolve on their own. While painting and living with the paintings, I discovered many universal and personal truths from my version of the story – making it relevant and alive.”

“My process was to start with a loose idea and to create many layers of the paintings – watching as they progressed and changed. I tried to keep the opportunities open and even unfinished to see what areas became more interesting, leading to plot twists and surprises. I love observing people and thinking about their stories. It is my intention to create paintings with richness that have a history of their own, stop at a moment in time, then develop a relationship with the viewer going forward.”

Elizabeth Denison Hatch Gallery