Café Gallery

Reclaimed: Mixed-media Paintings by Erin Westenskow Berrett

Known for her highly representational oil paintings of everyday objects, Erin Westenskow Berrett has recently begun a new trajectory in her work. In the midst of experimenting with bolder strokes, larger palettes, and new subject matter, she also began experimenting with a new medium — paper.

Berrett begins her new compositions with hundreds of cut paper pieces from reclaimed magazines. As with her oil paintings, she works from dark to light and from big shapes to small. Combining “already made” textures and colors, she represents the familiar in unexpected ways, embracing just enough dissonance so that it becomes new again.