March 7, 2002—April 6, 2002 | Reception Thursd

James Harris Gallery is pleased to present the second Northwest solo exhibition of work by Los Angeles artist, Michelle Fierro. As in her previous work, Fierro uses solidified lumps of paint and other scavenged debris from the studios of friends in her paintings to create monochromatic fields punctuated by what looks like haphazard clusters of color.  However, the placement of all Fierro’s found objects is deliberate and calculated, creating curious compositions at once beautiful but also grotesque. These tenacious works offer a sense of humor and surprise, luring the viewer into what will always be an engaging exchange.  This new group of paintings, Fierro’s compositions and surface manipulation has become much more reductive. Marks or pencil line still divide and create form but now Fierro uses this technique on a reduced level.  Fields of color have been applied to create an implied separation of space or, alternatively, a vanishing point where one color can merge into another.