"I begin each painting with a research process where I learn about the space and collect images from online, books, or sometimes from photos I take. I try to find a way to open up or change the space so it becomes something new. Something closer to how I feel about it or imagine the space to be."
"In my work there's always been a tension between real life and the imagined. How the imaginary and the real relate to one another. Using places that are fixed and exist in the world in a certain way helps me to draw attention to this tension. The way our emotions and ideas about a space may influence the way we see it."
"We are given glimpses of these spaces during visiting hours when they are at their best but there are other moments we don't get to see or experience within these places."
Gretchen Scherer's exhibition 'Reading the Rooms' features paintings that begin with extensive research into specific spaces, incorporating images from online sources, books, and personal photography. She reimagines these fixed, real-world locations by transforming them into new interpretations that reflect her emotional responses and imaginative visions. The paintings include animated elements drawn from actual collections—small paintings, sculptures, and furniture—placed within otherwise empty spaces. The works oscillate between two emotional poles: some feel empty and breathless while others appear alive and playful. Central to her practice is exploring the tension between reality and imagination, examining how personal emotions and ideas shape perception of spaces, and considering the hidden moments within historic places that visitors never experience during official visiting hours.
#contemporary-painting #space-and-perception #reality-and-imagination #interior-spaces #emotional-interpretation
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