Anton Kern Gallery is pleased to announce a special presentation of new works by Ellen Berkenblit, featuring 10 gouaches with colorful Kozo paper collage elements, and a large-scale oil painting. 

Berkenblit recently began integrating pieces of Kozo paper into her gouache compositions. The behavior of this paper - made from the fiber of mulberry trees and full of texture - opened up exciting ways to layer color and surface. By cutting out shapes, or ripping it into strips to retain a feathered edge, she could both manipulate the material with precision and also work with uncontrollable surprise and chance. In these latest works, color and material become confluent, as if the artist paints with paper. A large-scale oil painting on linen “Apricot McCoo” accompanies the group, together showcasing the artist’s masterful handling of color, her confident line, and deep understanding of the alchemical interactions between paint and surface.