we are super excited to be opening two new exhibitions to start off 2023 for north carolina artists elizabeth bradford and scott upton. both artists are born and raised north carolinians. their work explores the landscape seen through different lenses. elizabeth bradford creates hypnotically beautiful studies of her surrounding through color and pattern. her work captures the beauty of the untamed nature of the landscape. the viewer enters her paintings hearing the water trickle down the stream and the grasses swaying in the wind. elizabeth has the ability to transport you into her world through her paintings. scott upton’s abstract landscape paintings radiate light. scott uses multiple layers of paint to create a luminosity that glows from within. his paintings relay a feeling of calm and serenity with a powerful presence.
elizabeth bradford is a native carolinian, with deep roots in the rural landscape. her work often centers on images drawn from her rural community and her family’s century farm in north mecklenburg county. In recent years she has used her passion for backpacking as inspiration for large scale paintings of the wild.
bradford studied art at randolph macon woman’s college, the universities of north carolina, and at davidson college. she is represented in corporate and private collections all over the united states. she was included in the us state department’s art in embassies program, which places representative work by american artists in embassies around the world.
bradford was chosen as the featured artist for north carolina’s first statewide women’s conference. she has had many solo exhibitions, including shows at the university of north carolina at charlotte, davidson college, hood college, the blowing rock museum and the cameron art museum.
her work focuses on intricate formal patterns found in nature, and on the experience of color. It serves as a call to action to preserve and protect the natural world and expresses a deep reverence for wild places. currently her medium is acrylic on canvas. though representational, her paintings have a strong connection to the traditions of abstraction. bradford’s paintings reveal a continuing investigation of landscape and the notion of place.
scott upton received his ba in fine arts from the university of north carolina at asheville. upton’s abstract paintings are filled with color and texture. his distinctive compositions reflect strong geometric shapes with a subtle suggestion of a landscape. the canvases glow with multilayers of acrylic paint and concealed reflective textures using silver and gold leaf. "i've always maintained that my work is about color and light and their effect on our emotions. my inspiration comes from nature, whose sublime forms and colors and chaotic power shape the ever-changing landscape. for me, light is the unifying force, transforming everything it touches by banishing darkness and encouraging renewal. In my work I've always sought to suggest, in addition to the beauty, the feelings of hope and peace that light imparts."
“i’ve always maintained that my work is about color and light and their effect on our emotions. my inspiration comes from nature, whose sublime forms and colors and chaotic power shape the ever-changing landscape. for me, light is the unifying force, transforming everything it touches by banishing darkness and encouraging renewal. in my work i’ve always sought to suggest, in addition to the beauty, the feelings of hope and peace that light imparts. my painting process involves as much intuition as skill, and a surprising amount of sheer physical labor. to convey the emotional impact of change, time, weather, and light, i employ a wide range of techniques. i lay down rich fields of color, enhanced by many layers of transparent glazes. to intensify the effects of depth and mystery, i may use a foundation of metal leaf or applied textures. after building up a surface i then scar it or even scrape it away only to cover it over again with a new layer. i like “closing away” lower layers, except for scattered spots of color—a reminder that more is happening in a painting than what is perceived on the surface. i hope this process creates for the viewer a calm moment in which to reflect on what, in a larger sense, has been hidden from view.”
all available work by each artist can be viewed on our website under their individual tabs including sizing + pricing. hidell brooks gallery is by appointment only. please call the gallery if you have any further questions.