Sag Harbor artist Elizabeth Karsch lives with her husband and two daughters, and works from a small home studio. Her abstract paintings and collages are reflections on the world around her, as she channels thoughts and energy into the marks on each page. Being Here, an exhibition of new work on view in The Loft @ Lululemon’s East Hampton store, is comprised of her signature color-filled paintings, this time in a large-scale format, and full of references to the often ironic experience of living in the summertime “place to be”.

“The East End has been my home since 2004, and I’m always inspired by the way the light bounces around everything here. Even in the darkest of winter months, there is a particular glow under the fog, and I’m really affected (both emotionally and artistically) by the dramatic shifts in energy our seasons bring.”

“Drawing has served as my way to work through life’s challenges, and I think I found it to be a ‘safe’ way to express myself when words are too daunting. I have been a stutterer my entire life, and sometimes the simplest conversations can be difficult for me to navigate, so my frustrations over my inability to communicate clearly get channelled into my art. That’s not to say my work is unhappy or always full of tension – in fact, I tend to use humor to deal with my shortcomings and my titles for my artwork often reflect my ability to laugh at myself when words have failed me.”

As life on the East End brings a see-sawing feeling (from months of quiet solitude to the vibrance and intensity of the summer season), Karsch manifests these dramatic energy shifts into her paintings with wild swoops of color, frenetic dancing lines, and humorous titles. Here They Come, a five-by-seven foot painting hanging in the Southeast corner of the show, first appears as a neon and glitter-infused landscape with bursts of fireworks and bubbles, but on closer look viewers will find troubling scribbles, blocked passageways, and a curious pair of beavers – a suggestion of wildlife long gone, or possibly a metaphorical invasion of a species arriving to chomp down the glittering trees.

Karsch’s work is layered with energy and double-meanings — so much is going on in these paintings that they teeter on the edge of chaos, yet the end result is pulled together in a choreographed dance of line and form. The colors in this show are pulled from various parts of the artist’s life (her daughters’ summer dresses, pastel sunrises and vivid evening skies, a favorite hot pink bathing suit), and the repeated circular forms which make up the structure of many of these pieces represent a multitude of things – mandalas, thought bubbles, and peepholes into the worlds of people around her.

Being Here will run through September 2019, and all works are available for sale through the artist directly. More information about Elizabeth Karsch can be found on her website, www.elizabethkarsch.com and her instagram account @elizabethkarsch.