Two Coats of Paint: Five Things: Katherine Bradford at Portland Museum of Art

Katherine Bradford, Woman Flying, 1999, oil on canvas dropcloth, 84 x 72 inches

We are huge Katherine Bradford fans, and when we told Two Coats of Paint editor Sharon Butler we were driving up to Maine to see “Flying Woman: The Paintings of Katherine Bradford,” her retrospective at the Portland Museum of Art, she invited us to share five things about the show, illustrated with photos. We aren’t writers, and at first this seemed like an easy way for us to organize our thoughts. Still, it proved too difficult because, flying between us, we had millions of complicated emotions. For an exhibition that feels so important, so timely, and so thoroughly moving, reducing the experience to just Five Things was daunting.

Katherine Bradford is a “painters’ painter” and a hero who has mentored hundreds (thousands?) of artists, offering genuine encouragement and support in the purest form. To stand in front of her work is to feel Bradford’s presence, her power, her focus, and her reverence for painting — it’s a remarkable thing. For friends of Kathy, the show is especially poignant.

So, rather than reducing our experience to Five Things, here are Fifteen Things about the show.

Katherine Bradford paintings are disarming.

Katherine Bradford, Fear of Shoes, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings are an embrace.

Katherine Bradford, Yellow Dress, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 84 x 66 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings float weightlessly.

Katherine Bradford, Pond Swimmers, 2016, acrylic on canvas, 68 x 80 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings defy gravity.

Katherine Bradford, All of Us, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 136 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings wash over us.

Katherine Bradford, Water Lady, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings are a swift blow to the head.

Katherine Bradford, Green Tie, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 136 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings push and pull at us.

Katherine Bradford, Stripe People with Arms, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings band us together.

Katherine Bradford, Superheroes, 2020, acrylic on canvas, 68 x 80 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings transcend time and space.

Katherine Bradford, Super Flyer, 2013, oil on canvas, 48 x 36

Katherine Bradford paintings are vulnerable.

Katherine Bradford, Group Swim, 2004, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 60 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings touch us in unexpected ways.

Katherine Bradford, left: Couple No Shirts, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 inches; right: Leap Frog I, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings are a feast.

Katherine Bradford, Lunch Painting, 2018, acrylic on canvas, 68 x 80 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings address universal concerns.

Katherine Bradford, Superman Big Circle of the Universe, 2015, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings offer us all a seat at the table.

Katherine Bradford, Two Tables, 2001, oil on canvas, 32 x 28 1⁄2 inches

Katherine Bradford paintings celebrate love.

Katherine Bradford, Wedding Ceremony, 2019, acrylic on canvas, 80 x 68 inches

“Flying Woman: The Paintings of Katherine Bradford,” Portland Museum of Art, Portland, Maine. Through September 11, 2022. All photos were taken by the authors at the exhibition.

About the authors: Ellen Letcher and Julie Torres are artists and curators. Follow them and their Hudson Valley gallery LABspace on Instagram.

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