Daisy Dew-diamond

Standard Space, Sharon, CT • standardspace.net • May 26–June 25, 2023

Nestled in a small, historic, quintessential Connecticut town, Standard Space Gallery is anything but standard. In the quiet, clean space of this intimate studio-gallery, a revolution is happening. Within that revolution, Louise Sheldon’s work has found itself a worthy temporary home.

Although owner and photographic artist Theo Coulombe did not intend to stay in Sharon when he left Brooklyn, he has carved out a space for himself and other artists who push boundaries. Without setting out to do so, Coulombe has established a gallery that places emphasis on under-represented voices in the art community and on art that speaks for itself. “I’m not a gallerist, I’m an artist who owns a gallery,” Coulombe told this writer. It is this emphasis on artists first and gallery politics second that leads him to collaborate and to use his space to elevate the art and voices of fellow artists.

Louise Sheldon’s upcoming show, Daisy Dew-diamond, is one such collaboration. Described by Coulombe as “psychedelic,” Sheldon’s work is full of captivating patterns, unbelievably vibrant watercolors, and visuals that leap off the paper. A unique color palette and repeating motifs draw
a clear line from one piece to the next. Once you have seen Sheldon’s art, you would recognize her style anywhere. With her use of faces and eyes, Sheldon’s work confronts you in a most literal way. The dynamic of viewer-subject is turned on its head as the observer becomes the observed.

Tablecloth Friend engages the simple and recognizable checked pattern of a picnic tablecloth. The face of the friend is kind and understanding, surrounded by a hazy aura of glowing sunset orange. Silly Rules is one of the few pieces that does not contain a characteristic face. Instead, big contoured drips fall from the top of the paper and sunny flowers overlay a hypnotic series of concentric circles reminiscent of a ripple in the water. This piece is a culmination of the bright colors and youthful patterns present throughout Sheldon’s work.

Simultaneously modern and vintage in aesthetic, Sheldon’s art draws you into a world of childish whimsy that elicits a pang of nostalgia and seems to deposit you into a dreamscape where flowers and tablecloths have faces and all the rules are silly.

— Autumn Duke