The Cooley Gallery is proud to introduce new work by Essex, Connecticut native Jasper Goodrich in the exhibition and sale Within and Without, opening June 12th at 25 Lyme Street in Old Lyme.     

Jasper graduated with honors three years ago from Skidmore College. When he was not working on his own art, he started a commercial metal and woodworking studio in the small town of Cambridge, NY. He currently lives in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

"We saw Jasper's work for the first time about a year ago and found ourselves immediately engaged. Other than the inventiveness we found his inspiration very familiar to us as dealers of historic art, traditional antique gilt frames," says gallery owner Jeff Cooley.  

This debut exhibition appears simply as cast iron interpretations of traditional antique frames but Jasper invites the viewer to engage a little harder about what they see. He begins, "I transform paintings into three-dimensional objects by casting them in sculptural materials...Imagine visiting your favorite museum and painting everything white: the walls, the floors, the ceiling, and every single painting. You would walk through the halls noticing not the beautiful landscapes and portraits, but the true shapes of the paintings. The frames, the concentric squares that are the mats, and perhaps the faint texture of what once was a painting is all you would see." These wall-mounted works cast in iron will be displayed alongside some recent graphite works all relating to the materials and surfaces that make up a painting.

Over twenty works will be displayed in this exhibition. Some are pure sculptural interpretations of historical frames while others are renditions of frames functioning in a familiar way. Jasper's sculpted frame forms surround what would typically be a colorful canvas but through his hand the colors give way to textures highlighting the physical act of painting.   
 
Some may see this exhibition as a radical departure for a gallery whose reputation was built on traditional painting but the Cooleys are quick to point out the many threads Jasper's art has to other Cooley Gallery exhibitions.  

"This is an exhibition inspired by more than the convention of framing a painting, a convention which dates back to sacred art in the 15th century. Jasper's work looks specifically at the form of frames and its role in the effect of the presentation of the painting it encompasses,” notes the gallerist adding, “You always think of a painting as being a two-dimensional object but, through Jasper's eyes, the surfaces he uncovers reveal sculptural relationships between the paint, canvas and frames, exposing an almost secret life."   

This exhibition runs through July 12th. An opening reception in will be held on Thursday, June 12th from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The public is welcome.

Founded in 1981 and located in the heart of historic Old Lyme, the Cooley Gallery specializes in fine American paintings from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, including the Hudson River School, American Impressionism, and select contemporary artists. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Please call (860) 434-8807 or visit www.cooleygallery.com  for additional information. The Cooley Gallery is located at 25 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371.