WHAL Saltbox Gallery: Solo Show

Brian McClear | WHAL Saltbox Gallery: Selected Works

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I’m very excited to announce a solo exhibit of selected works at the West Hartford Art League’s Saltbox Gallery.

Exhibition: Thursday, June 3 – Saturday, June 27, 2021
Location: WHAL Saltbox Gallery |37 Buena Vista Rd | West Hartford, CT
Hours: Thursday – Sunday 1-4 pm

My painting “Water & Melon” was named the 2020 CT+6 Best of Show winner. As a result of that unexpected honor, I have a wonderful opportunity for a solo exhibition in WHAL’s beautiful gallery housed in a 1750’s saltbox. Of the 24 paintings in this exhibit, some have done a lot of traveling and have been exhibited quite a bit. “Water & Melon” from last year’s CT+6 exhibit and many portraits from the Ink & Oil series have traveled more in the last 3 years than I’ve managed for myself. You’ll find new paintings as well — paintings that have never been shown before like “Gas & Onion”. This painting is a new companion piece to Water & Melon. All the paintings in this exhibit, new and old, represent a sampling from two concurrent projects — Discards & Discovery and Ink & Oil.

Discards & Discovery: A series of oil paintings inspired by found objects. These are paintings where seemingly unrelated objects are paired together to emphasize an unexpected commonality or imply an underlying meaning.

Water & Melon 48″ x 48″ Oil on Canvas (2020 CT+6 Best of Show)

Gas & Red Onion 48″ x 48″ Oil on Canvas

Ink & Oil: A series of portraits that explore people of all ages and walks of life that have chosen tattoos as their form of self-expression. These portraits seek to capture a gesture and mood that provide additional insights into the subject’s personality beyond their art. Simply put, canvases of people who are themselves canvases.

Riki 60″ x 40″ Oil on Canvas

Both projects challenge the viewer to look beyond the surface — whether considering everyday objects or the people they meet.