Terry Ekasala is among a group of contemporary artists who are reinvigorating painting. Ekasala creates expressive imagery that moves between abstraction and representation. The artist employs an intuitive approach, emphasizing improvisation and process rather than a predetermined subject. She revels in complex interplays of color and texture, line, shape, and form.

Amidst these layered elements and dynamic brushwork, a partial figure or landscape, bird, or beast may appear to float in space, as if captured midway through transformation. In her paintings, the artist invites us to travel to interior worlds and across time. More than works of art – or objects – Ekasala’s paintings are experiences, personal journeys for artist and viewer alike.

Terry Ekasala: Layers of Time features oil on linen and more intimately scaled acrylic works on paper, all created over the past two years. The largest canvases, All the Secret Harmony (Lost Tracks of Time) and Riding Through, were commissioned by BCA for this exhibition. A resident of East Burke, Ekasala is the 2023 recipient of the Vermont Prize.

Terry Ekasala, Riding Through (detail)

Terry Ekasala, Backyard (detail)

Terry Ekasala, All The Secret Harmony (Lost Tracks of Time) (detail) 

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Hospitality sponsors, Lake Champlain Chocolates, Farrell Distributing, and William Hill Estate Winery. Burlington City Arts is supported in part by The Vermont Arts Council & the National Endowment for the Arts.