SARAH STEINBERG: Rooted in Memory and HUNG VIET NGUYEN in the Project Room

Steinberg paints to preserve the memories of her past, reflecting love and longing for the landscape of her childhood in Canada. She begins by making complicated marks across the canvas, with oil paint. From this mass of shapes, more specific images begin to emerge that guide Steinberg toward an overall composition. Certain shapes are left abstracted, while others are transformed into recognizable figures: the outline of a house, or the dense treeline of a snowy forest. Steinberg captures the likeness of her home in Ontario, while still allowing the image to be transformed by her imagination. This process lends an expressive quality to Steinberg’s work, allowing the viewer to glimpse the layering of emotion and memory in each scene.

Hung Viet Nguyen paints highly textured and fantastical landscapes. He draws inspiration from his travels through many different countries and regions, painting landscapes from his imagination, rather than specific places. Nguyen paints with swirling layers of paint, fields of bold color, and playful forms. After sketching out a loose and fluid composition, Nguyen begins building the painting with a palette knife and thick brushstrokes, layering the paint to add texture.