Brilliant Gloom

<p>Often depicting unsettling yet strangely familiar locations, Michael Raedecker’s atmospheric paintings layer embroidery over muted planes of color. Applying pale washes of pigment “drawn” over with thread, he creates a sparse framework onto which he builds up isolated patches of detail. <em>Brilliant Gloom</em> depicts a view of a house in a murky, seemingly cosmic landscape with stitched-on plants and rocks that appear to float above the ground. A radiant grid of brightly colored lights hovers above the shadowy vista, vaguely reflected in the water. The gleaming colored lamps pierce the dull haze of the surrounding sky, resulting in a glowing cloud of color and light in an otherwise bleak environment—perhaps the remaining vestige of a party after the guests and host have departed or even something more supernatural.</p>