A lounging lawn–chair dad, a few well-armed little cowboys, and a veritable army of sparkling high–heeled housewives bubble up from polka–dotted and paisley depths, eyeing warily a nuclear-orange slice of processed cheese or a slightly menacing jello salad. The Butte Silver Bow Arts Foundation is rounding them all up in "Fabric of the American Dream," an exhibition of paintings on found textiles by Jane Richlovsky. The show opens July 11, 2008 at the Venus Rising Gallery, 124 S. Main Street, and runs through August 29. There will be an opening reception on July 11 from 5 – 9 PM. The Seattle artist will discuss her work in an informal talk that evening at 7 PM. The patterned surfaces of found, printed textiles – erstwhile tablecloths, curtains, and other domestic artifacts – are the canvases on which Richlovsky paints mythical mid-twentieth-century characters contending with their equally mythical surroundings. In oblique, heavily cropped narrative images, the prints of the underlying fabrics are left partially revealed as people’s clothing or objects. Painted shadows and reflections merge the figures visually and metaphorically with their environments. In her paintings, Richlovsky explores and unpacks the seductive promises of the American Dream and its abundances, peeking through the lens of nostalgia, co-opting and tweaking the visual language of advertising. In constructions inspired by magazine advertisements from the 1950's, she often attaches rectangles of painted patterns to the images. The abstract patterns contradict, reinforce, or parody the ambiguous narratives with which they are paired. In other works, the textile patterns are refracted and reflected in the futuristic geometry of fabled Midcentury Modern houses, trapping their inhabitants in busy, boxy dream worlds. “Jane Richlovsky’s work is rich in complex interactions. The patterned fabric, the images painted on the fabric, and the content of the painted images work together to create both a visual statement and cultural commentary.” (Mary Lane, FiberArts) "One finds a true gem in Jane Richlovsky. . . The found textiles are wrapped entirely around the side of the canvas, and without this hint, one may take longer to notice that the dresses, rugs and tablecloths are, in fact, not painted at all." (Lynne Venert, The DCist) Richlovsky's paintings have been exhibited in solo and group shows throughout the United States, including the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington; A Shenere Velt Gallery in Los Angeles; The Painting Center in New York City; Heineman-Myers Contemporary Art in Bethesda, Maryland; and Atelier 31 Gallery, the Seattle Art Museum Rental/Sales Gallery, Pratt Fine Arts Center, and Ballard-Fetherston Gallery in Seattle. She has received grants from the George Sugarman Foundation, the Ludwig Vogelstein Foundation, the King County Arts Commission, and Artist Trust. Her work is included in the collection of the King County International Airport and in private collections throughout the world.

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