Mary Iverson, “Crater Lake” Acrylic, Ink, and Magazine Photo on Panel, 11.5×8.25″

Painter Mary Iverson currently has a solo show in the Shooting Gallery’s Project Space called Tangle, where she sets op-art grid against naturalistic landscapes. Wertical just posted this interview with Iverson where she likens the container industry as a metaphorical ‘stacking of chips’ with which capitalism gambles the fate of our resources.

Tangle is showing through May 4, so there is only a few days left to see it. View the rest of the show online here.

Follow the jump for an excerpt form the interview.

Iverson, “Arctic National Wildlife Refuge” Acrylic, Ink, and Magazine Photo on Panel, 14×11″

WE: The basis of each of your works is an object trouvé showing a landscape. What do these landscapes reveal? Do they work up personal memories of journeys? In what respect is it necessary for you to use objects trouvé instead of painting or photographing the landscapes yourself?

MI: The found photograph sets up the irony of the final piece. I cut my photos out of travel magazines, environmental magazines, and glossy wall calendars. These sources provide consumers with the fantasy of travel, the illusion of environmental protection, and the appearance of serenity. By appropriating these images and ruining them, I am parodying their intended message.
In my large oil paintings (I showed some of these last year at the Shooting Gallery), I use my own photographs. I travel to National Parks and State Parks, set up camp, and gather reference material. The research trips take on a ritual aspect because I feel that I am following in the footsteps of the luminist painters of the American West like Moran and Bierstadt.

Iverson, “Mountain” Acrylic, Ink, and Magazine Photo on Panel, 16.75×10.5″

WE: Shipping containers and shipwrecks are reoccurring themes within your works; what do they express for you?

MI: A stack of containers is like a stack of poker chips representing the viability of our economy. The capitalist system wagers the needs of a growing population against the stress the environment can bear. When I read annual reports from various ports, they talk about container volumes in the millions (5.5 million for the Port of New York/New Jersey in 2025), and they project that container volumes will continue to increase. My work raises questions about the ultimate destination for all of this growth.

Iverson, “Hamburg” Acrylic, Ink, and Magazine Photo on Panel, 12×12″

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