Mary Bridgman Art

The Painted Veil

This group of Gold Leaf Icons was inspired by a trip to the Marquesas where Bridgman spent time in the village where Paul Gauguin spent his final years.

The inspiration came from his letters to the French Impressionists as well as Somerset Maugham's The Moon and Sixpence and Shelley's The Painted Veil. These paintings are intended to be visceral, physical and abstract expressionist representing the artist life, emotional strain and purpose. A bright blot, a splender among shadows. The search for truth and the isolation involved in following one's path and separation from society. The gold illuminations create beauty, conflict, reflection and renewal in a difficult situation. Bridgman is currently working in oil exploring cultural iconography involving fashion, art, gender, class, and social issues in contemporary life as well as exploring the enduring power of humans in art history. She is both representational and abstract utilizing traditional techniques in a modern context to communicate the artist's vision through both a personal and public lens.