Helen Grimm, Treasure, 24 x 24 inches, oil on canvas, image courtesy of Four Eleven Gallery
Four Eleven Gallery, located at 411 Commercial Street in Provincetown, announces Sparkle: New Paintings by Helen Grimm The show opens Saturday, December 4th and runs through December 16th. The gallery will hold a reception from 3 PM - 5PM on Saturday, December 4th. Because of the continuing prevalence of COVID-19 infections, masks are required at the reception. In addition to the show, Grimm’s artworks will be available to view and purchase at fourelevengallery.com
The forms of shells have inspired Grimm’s painting for over twenty years. She’s particularly drawn to their contradictions: the humble yet polished beauty within a rough worm-holed exterior, and bleached starkness against a rich splash of color. These forms afford Grimm an opportunity to explore line and shape, and scale and color. Hewing the line between representation and abstraction, Grimm’s paintings are reminiscent of looking below surfaces. You may be unsure of exactly what you’re seeing, but you feel its essence.
Of her new body of work, Grimm says, “I continue to look at my paintings as if imagining a pool of water. I’m always charmed by water, especially the play of light across its surface. That sparkle inspires me to move beyond the edge of representation, and this work continues to ebb and flow around the objects and spaces I witness.”
About: For over 50 years, the rambling White House at 411 Commercial Street has been a studio and home to many artists and writers. Now completing its eleventh season, Four Eleven is a true painters’ gallery, representing contemporary artists living and working in Provincetown and the Outer Cape. It has been said by many locals that the gallery evokes a feeling of old Provincetown. Our works are informed by our love for this place and this community.