Michelle Blade's First Night Gallery Solo Show Captures California Light

Los Angeles-based painter Michelle Blade is presenting her first solo exhibition with Night Gallery, titled "It's About Time," running through May 23, 2026. The show follows her recent solo at the Powerlong Museum in Shanghai and her inclusion in Night Gallery's group show "Superbloom." Blade's new works focus on still lifes and landscapes from around her home, captured at different hours to emphasize California light and the passage of time. Using acrylic and ink on cotton poplin with a wet-on-wet technique, she creates depth and saturation where figurative elements coexist with abstraction. Paintings like "You Changed When I Wasn't Looking" (2026) depict a monumental 80-inch-tall bouquet of tulips, while "The Light in Your House Is On" (2026) shows a warped street corner in hazy light, recalling a fisheye lens or childhood memory. Blade's process involves photographing subjects over months, translating images into sketches, and re-sketching, transforming initial reality through memory and practice. Her work engages with traditions of David Hockney, Charles Burchfield, and the Impressionists, focusing on the ephemeral nature of reality.