Solo Show – Michelle Letarte
October 23 – November 4, 2012
Opening Reception October 25
The Propeller Center for the Visual Arts
Anatolia refers to Turkey as an historical land that saw the rise and fall of great civilizations.
It is a country of contrasts between old and new in superb scenery and landscape. Cultural and geographical diversity make it an incredible destination. The current exhibition was inspired by a recent trip to this fascinating country. My paintings reflect images that witnessed history but are eroded by time and earthquakes and are now integrated into natural fresh landscapes. The chief city of Lycia, Xanthos, ravaged by the Persians and surrendered to Alexander the Great in 334BC! Derelict Kayaköy, a thriving Greek town that was abandoned in 1923, when an exchange of populations took place between Greece and Turkey, with its 500 roofless houses still showing their vividly painted walls! Kekova Island, with its Lycian tombs and houses partially submerged into the Mediterranean! Hierapolis and its sulfurous water pools! And the spectacular white travestine terraces of Pamukkale formed by hotsprings flowing down the slopes, leaving deposits of limestone and white carbonate calcium and revealing amazing ochre and burgundy tones! And the lime green waters of Umut thermal stations that glow in the sun!
My abstract paintings depict ancient walls ravaged by time, travertine terraces eroded by water and ancient sulfurous green water pools. I used pumice and sand to create the texture of these large surfaces. The palette of natural tones reflects the colors of Anatolia.
