Oil on canvas paintings by Brooklyn-based artist Michelle Mackey. Mackey’s paintings reflect upon the rapidly changing Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn where she lives and maintains her studio. As gentrification transpires and new larger and taller buildings are built, the visual fabric of the area is indelibly changed. The social and personal relationships in the neighborhood are forced to bear pressures from the change to an upscale urban oasis in a largely immigrant and industrial neighborhood. These abstract landscapes feature representational elements mixed with sweeping expanses capturing the spirit of change.

The artist, who was born in Washington DC and who grew up in Texas, had her first solo New York show at Paul Sharpe Contemporary Art in December 2003, which met with critical acclaim, including a review in The New York Art World.