"At Mount Meru" Paintings by Laine Justice

Opening Reception for the artist Friday September 18th, 6 - 8pm

Laine Justice is a painter with extraordinary, otherworldly vision. Upon silk stretched canvases, she skillfully incorporates oil paint, powdered pigments, gold leaf, glitter and graphite drawings to create epic works that read as both riveting abstractions and densely layered narratives. In the main gallery will be her new body of work, "At Mount Meru". The eight paintings interpret scenes from the mythological Battle of Mara, where and when Mara futilely attempts to derail Siddhartha from his momentous path towards enlightenment. Within many of the Eastern religions, Mara is recognized as a supernatural being that is the literal and symbolic metaphor of the negative forces that conspire to draw us into darkness. Laine Justice visually depicts this universal story of good vs. evil through a multitude of hybridized creatures, both familiar and fantastical, which populate her dynamic canvases. They commingle atop one another, become one another, and are hidden and revealed depending on how closely one examines her potent mark making. 

In the back room will be an intimate installation of Laine's colorful work on paper, quilted creatures and fabric collage. Her unique ability to manifest animals both real and imaginary can be in enjoyed in all of these works and will give the viewer an insight into her prodigious imagination. 

Exhibition runs through October 30th, 2015 

Laine Justice received her BFA in painting and sculpture with honors from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. She now lives and works in Healdsburg, CA.