For her second solo exhibition at Patrick Painter, Inc, Hope Atherton presents an ensemble of new paintings infused with atmospheric substance and the melancholic sense of an eerie, otherwordly fantasy.

Atherton creates a very private universe inspired by intense emotion and ancient objects; a universe that gives new meaning to the Renaissance idea of painting offering a “window into space”. It could be claimed as well that Atherton’s work opens a window into the soul. Among many other sources, it is inspired by early photographic experiments with the occult.  In her paintings, phantom evocations are delicately nestled in the interior heart of luscious, abstract environments. The palette of color plays on density with intense colors contrasting against deep tones to better create a mysterious realm that swallows the viewer into a hypnotic trance.

Atherton creates a dreamlike world inspired equally by a childhood immersion in Fantasy Pop culture and a rural nature encountered daily while growing up on a small farm in Virginia. Her latest paintings are, in her own words, inspired by specific, layered moments observed from journeys, conveying a melancholic atmosphere, and a sense of fleeting moments in time.