In this exhibition of forty-four new paintings, Ellie Pyle continues her on-going exploration of the visual energy of New York City, her adopted home. The imagery in the work is rooted in the artist’s quotidian engagement with the city’s streets, and derives from momentary glimpses of things – store fronts, trucks, canopies, litter, packaging – that strike a chord within her. Pyle speaks of a sense of being entertained by frequent encounters with things that already look like paintings, and it is that energy that she attempts to channel into her studio and paintings.

Pyle’s choice of materials also reflects – literally and figuratively – the simultaneous sensations of immediacy and banality that she hopes the works capture. Glitter, drywall mesh tape, oil stick, inexpensive acrylics, all contribute to Pyle’s lack of inhibition and desire to not be intimidated by the preciousness and costliness of materials. This freedom permits Pyle to revel in the pure pleasure of making the work.