Harper’s is pleased to present Postcard Perfect, Brooklyn-based painter Lizbeth Mitty’s first solo exhibition with the gallery. Consisting of recent work that Mitty created during the COVID period, the paintings on view portray idyllic landscapes in contrast to the harsh conditions of the global pandemic. In lieu of a reception, Postcard Perfect will open Wednesday, January 12, 12–8pm, at Harper’s Apartment.
Straddling the line between control and chance, Mitty’s nimble technique embraces the fluid characteristics of her acrylic medium. Allowing her marks to pool, drip, and swirl across the surfaces of her compositions, the melding forms portray scenes of nature in a constant state of flux. Still lifes of food arrangements with potted plants appear to be melting away like candle wax, and vast mountainscapes and seaside villages wisp into each other in the distance. Abstracting the naturalistic beauty of her environments, Mitty nevertheless paints with rich detail through an elaborate play of texture and vivid patterns. In Amalfi, the poured pink pigments accentuate the succulence of a watermelon, while dribbled violet, gold, and cobalt hues in Conjuring amplify the decadent qualities of a floral arrangement. In many of the backgrounds of her paintings, sinuous bands of pigment overlay dyed fabric substrates, depicting lush foliage or icy snowcaps interplaying with expansive skies or placid lakes surroundings. At once serene and delirious, Mitty’s work transforms familiar balcony views into liquid dreamworlds.
Mitty has engaged with various themes throughout her decades-long career. Ranging from domestic interiors, urban decay, and in this most recent series, ebullient landscapes, most of her imagery is sourced from memory. For Postcard Perfect, Mitty focuses on how memories can act as a refuge from the difficulties of a world in the midst of crisis. The picturesque series evokes a strong sense of idealism and romanticism, reminding her audience that there are alternate realities to the present state of things. As critic Garrit Henry noted, Mitty’s works “are not primarily paintings of a place,” but instead “render a state of mind.” Yet, her wavering lines and evaporating forms suggest an instability to the scenes she creates, as if they are prone to dissipate at any moment. While Postcard Perfect stages ethereal pictures that are meant to be cherished, Mitty still emphasizes their precarious nature.
Lizbeth Mitty (b. 1952, Queens, New York) received a BS and an MFA from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1973 and 1975, respectively. Most recently, her work has been presented at UNTITLED Miami Beach, Miami, FL (2021); Marquee Projects, Bellport, NY (2021); Portrait Society Gallery, Milwaukee, WI (2020); Odetta Gallery, New York, NY (2020); M David & Co., Brooklyn, NY (2019); Caldwell College Art Gallery, Montclair, NJ (2018); and John Davis Gallery, Hudson, NY (2018). Over the course of her career, Mitty has been featured in Art in America, New York Times, and Hyperallergic, among other publications. Her work has been acquired by numerous public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Orlando Museum of Art, and Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University.