The vulnerable oil paintings of Washington state's Aleah Chapin

HI-FRUCTOSE
By Andy Smith
"Between the tides" Oil on canvas, 38 x 66 inches
Aleah Chapin’s vulnerable figures exist within a spectrum of emotions: joy, contemplating, stoicism. Yet, in each, the painter has the ability to tie our natural states to nature itself, often crafting lush environments for her subjects. The artist is particularly influenced by the region she inhabited in her youth. “Intimate, revealing and personal, the latest paintings by [Chapin] explore the passage of time as seen through the body; depicting friends and relations, all of whom she has known throughout her life growing up in a unique island community on the US Pacific Northwest Coast,” a recent statement says. “ … Set within a wild Pacific landscape, Aleah Chapin portrays the physical journey of the body in poetic terms, imbuing the forms of the older women with natural, sensuous vitality.” [More]