Marlene Capell has long used the format of a portal as the foundation of her abstract paintings. The portal imagery in her work references the ancient structures she acknowledges as the inspiration for her compositions. Much like archeological sites, her canvases reflect the passage and process of time as the surfaces are built up with paint, layer over layer, obliterating and reworking, concealing the past but leaving hints of what came before. Ultimately, it is this evidence of the painting process that becomes the focal point of her paintings, resulting in the luscious surfaces and the vibrant yet earthy color for which she is known. In this exhibition Capell brings together recent and earlier work that focuses on a square format which has always been especially compatible with her portal compositions.
