Blue Mountain Gallery is pleased to present Explorations: In the Spirit of Place, a solo exhibition of recent paintings by Nancy Sandler Bass, the exhibition brings together works made during the artist’s residencies at Il Palmerino in Florence, Italy, the historic home of writer and activist Vernon Lee - and paintings inspired by Sandler Bass’ life in New York City.
Sandler Bass’s paintings move between landscape, the human figure, and the intimate moments of everyday life. Working primarily in oil on canvas, she builds complex, layered surfaces in which drawing, paint, and fabric fragments coexist, creating tactile layers that require the painting to unfold over time. Her imagery moves between representation and abstraction, with color, gesture, texture, and memory shaping the visual experience.
The Florence paintings are inspired by the landscape and atmosphere of Il Palmerino, where Sandler Bass has returned for multiple residencies. The garden, surrounding hills, architecture, and traces of Vernon Lee’s world and legacy become points of departure for an ongoing exploration of how the world is seen, experienced, and remembered.
In her New York paintings, Sandler Bass translates that exploration into contemporary expressions drawn from observation, experience, and memory. The image moves within the space of the canvas, at times extending beyond its edges through gesture, fabric, and color. Fragments of patterned textiles, interiors, and the human body are woven together, creating paintings that fuse observation and memory. New York is present not only as a location, but as an inspiration, one that is deeply personal.
Together, the Florence and New York work marries Sandler Bass’s ongoing interest in how we perceive and experience the life around us, how the senses and memory interpret visual experience, and what remains with us after time has passed.
Blue Mountain Gallery