The Shape of Color - Hardcover

Carol Aronson-Shore describes her primary subject as "the way color shapes pictorial light and space," and nowhere is this more evident than in her signature landscapes and seascapes. Continuing in the tradition of American Luminist painters, Aronson-Shore uses color to create paintings characterized by a glowing light that adds depth and warmth to the experience. Finding inspiration in her hometown of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Aronson-Shore uses color, light, and form to explore the historic museum village in her Strawbery Banke series. This series developed from her earlier paintings of Monhegan Island, where she captured the rocky hillsides dotted with simple structures. Her paintings depict human shelters from a past time as well as their relationships to each other and to the natural landscape surrounding them. The Strawbery Banke Museum has provided the artist with a familiar subject combining an experience of time, place, and memory. Carol Aronson-Shore uses her finely tuned skills as a landscape artist to explore the built environment set against its natural surroundings. It is through this perspective that she artfully presents the contrast between man-made structures and the countryside. In Aronson-Shore's paintings, the natural environment is not just a backdrop for the built environment, as each setting is a thoughtful exploration of the interplay between the two. As Kimberly Alexander writes, "The series offers new glimpses and original concepts to an environment steeped in history, creating fresh perspectives and innovative dialogues—held in balance by color, form, and light."