Press Release: Paris Impossible

Mishael Coggeshall-Burr
May 18 - July 5 2020
Online Exclusive

Thursday, May 21 at 12:30 PM. Watch the recording: https://youtu.be/qU7RSj4XVfk
Available Artwork: https://bit.ly/2Ta01DQ

Abigail Ogilvy Gallery is proud to present Paris Impossible, our first solo exhibition of paintings by Mishael Coggeshall-Burr. This body of work is inspired by his love of travel and adventure, with a particular focus on the Parisian cityscape. Artworks set in Paris hold special significance to the artist; while living in London, Coggeshall-Burr and his wife often traveled to the city, walking for days on foot in order to absorb every part of Parisian life. Last year, they returned to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary, which happened to be just weeks before the Paris riots started and Notre Dame burned. Coggeshall-Burr remarks, “memories are of a time 'before'--now a common sentiment everywhere.” Memories become a form of solace, especially during the current global crisis. 

Traveling allows us to continuously create memories of beautiful moments in our minds, but not in a sharp photographic way. Our mind interprets the sights, places, faces, experiences, even the sounds and smells, as a mosaic of shapes and colors and light – a dreamlike experience.  The resulting blurred paintings that he creates attempt to capture this aesthetic. Coggeshall Burr’s artworks are similar to looking back at an old photo album, the blurred scenes draw out enough detail to make the location familiar, but still allow for our own memories to fill in the details.

“These blurry memories are something I have been drawn to, especially recently as we have been sheltering in place and travel has become something we can only do in our memories and in our dreams. And just like in our dreams, sometimes our minds can bring us into two impossible places at the same time – an idea that inspired one of the paintings, Paris Impossible... a freewheeling mixture of a cafe in Montmartre and a 2nd Arrondissement street.”  

The two paintings Jardin du Luxembourg II & III capture the moment one balmy evening after his family had spent the day walking the streets of Paris. With the usual scenes of people rushing everywhere, they entered the Jardin, where it felt like stepping into another reality. While there were many people in the park, there was a profound stillness and quietude. Hundreds of people sitting back leisurely and watching the sun set, speaking in quiet tones.  A poetic arrangement of humans; some in chairs, some on fountains, some on the grass, some in romantic embraces on benches.  The moment brought on a sudden realization of how good it feels to slow down and just be, as opposed to always doing something. With the world more recently entering this paused state, we are all in its "Jardin,” sitting apart from one another, given only to our thoughts and reflections. Coggeshall-Burr comments, “The universe is telling us, as humanity, to slow down, to exhale, to BE more instead of DO more, and enjoy the moment, connect with what's important.”

Specific works such as Highline II and Old Boat hold more individual memories. Highline II, a work set in New York City, is from a trip just before the birth of Coggeshall-Burr’s youngest child. He and his wife spent that time revisiting the city where they lived as a young couple, fresh out of college.  

Old Boat captures the wreck of a sailboat washed up off of Vieques Island in the Caribbean, a place his family spent several winter weeks escaping the northern cold. Coggeshall-Burr reminisces on times when his sons would climb over the wreck, and in later years once it had broken up, identifying parts and pieces along the beach.

Mishael Coggeshall-Burr studied painting at Middlebury College, The Glasgow School of Art, and the Art Student's League in New York.  His artistic adventures have led him to many countries and continents, with many images from his travels featured in his art exhibitions. He lives, works and paints in Montague, MA with his wife and four children.

Coggeshall Burr’s creative process is rooted in exploration of new places, looking through back streets, alleys, and country roads searching for a subject to photograph which later become paintings.