In her latest one-woman show at West Gallery, titled, Interiors, Elaine Navas paints images that were based on the photographs of Canadian photographer Robert Polidori in his book, “After the Flood,” which documented the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the US. Navas imagined making paintings of the interiors of the houses featured in Polidori’s book to fill a gallery space, and make it look like you’re walking into a house and not just staring at paintings on a wall. On view at the gallery are four paintings, done in oil on canvas, that comprise a living room, a dining room, a master’s bedroom, and a children’s bedroom.Navas notes that this series is somehow connected to her past shows, wherein she painted dilapidated chairs, sofas, beds, a bathtub, and a closet. “I think Interiors is a culmination of these [paintings],” says Navas. She continues to draw strength from her experiences as an artist and as an observer of events as they unfold. “In all my paintings, I always want to do my very best and to become a better painter.”
