Low Visual Distance: Paintings by Shannon Estlund

Shannon Estlund’s abstracted landscapes are inspired by Rice Creek and the surrounding forest near her home in Fridley, Minnesota. The title Low Visual Distance refers to the way that dappled light, physical obstructions, and abstractions of form complicate an objective understanding of these spaces. Instead, the paintings offer a psychological interpretation of each site. The subjects of the paintings, which include downed trees, stagnant pools, and tangles of brush, demonstrate various states of growth and decay. Subjects are rendered using overlapping imagery, expressive color, repeating pattern, and abstracted form as a metaphor for a subjective and ever-changing perception of reality. The paintings in this exhibition represent a practice in becoming comfortable with the unknown and appreciating the impermanent and interdependent nature of all things.