Michael Bentley “New Works on Paper” at Gruen Galleries

"Walking out to the shore every morning and looking out over the sea, I am still in awe of its beauty" -- Michael Bentley

With these new works, Bentley continues to explore abstract seascapes, with his unconventional use of gouache. Working with the medium’s brilliance and range of opacities and the intricate use of white pigment, there is a signature luminosity and reflective quality inherent to his earlier works. Bentley pushes the medium and the paper with the number of washes along with the size of the works, which are infused with countless layers applied over months to build the tranquil complexions evoking expanse and calm.

The rich texture and subtleties are not lost under glass, as these works are treated with a unique archival finish and can be taken in without distraction. This notably enhances the feeling of being drawn into the image, especially given the scale of the unusually large pieces, which size up to 48 by 96 inches.

Though not site specific, the imagery summons a stirring familiarity of place that truly resonates. For Bentley, living on the pristine coast of Nova Scotia with the North Atlantic's intense transforming beauty, provides an endless multitude of palettes, moods and movement to draw from.

Bentley paints from memory and describes that working with this medium generates a daily, metamorphic process, much like the sea that inspires.