Matthew Blackwell's 'Picklelilly' Exhibition at Edward Thorp Gallery Merges Painting and Sculpture

Matthew Blackwell presented his exhibition 'Picklelilly' at Edward Thorp Gallery from October 17 to November 30, 2013. Located at 210 Eleventh Avenue, 6th Floor in New York City, the show featured paintings and folk art-like sculptures. Blackwell's paintings depict radiant vagabonds and costumed celebrants in summer landscapes, drawing inspiration from American abstractionists like Jack Tworkov and Richard Diebenkorn, while also referencing expressionist color from Emil Nolde. His figures, such as a hitchhiker in 'Here?' (2011), carry symbolic burdens that incorporate graphic elements from cartoons. Sculptures, including an Abe Lincoln penny bank and bear totems, were crafted from found tin ceilings and salvage. For the first time, sculptures and paintings explicitly cross-pollinated, as seen in mutually titled works 'Picklelilly' (2013) depicting a tin-woman cook. This convergence darkened the mood of both mediums, with sculptures like 'Dunce Caps I-III' (2013) implying malevolent themes reminiscent of Philip Guston's Klansmen. Blackwell's collage practice, evident in works like 'Seeker' (2012) and 'OK's Garden' (2010-2013), incorporates objects like seed packets and bubble wrap, blending influences from artists such as James Ensor and Sigmar Polke. The exhibition highlighted Blackwell's exploration of the 'Twilight Zone' between high and low art, with narratives that remain ambiguous, as in 'Prodigal Sun' (2005-2012) featuring a wanderer under an orange sun.