Ålesund
Chase Langford’s oil paintings merge his topographical sensibilities with an abstract focus on color and texture. His style is recognizable, with undulating repetitions of form suggesting sediment, earth, and geological formations. With a color sensibility that is both vivid and nostalgic, Langford’s work hints at his experience as a professional cartographer. Yet instead of depictions of place, Langford captures the emotions inspired by and named after places such as Blake Island in the Puget Sound, Miramar Beach on Florida’s coast, and the Farallon Islands off the coast of San Francisco.
I was in Ålesund in June. I was really excited to see this picturesque town with its colorful buildings lining the waterfront aglow in the Norwegian sun as shown online. What I saw was gale force rain and winds that threw me momentarily in the air. Even the Norwegians were nowhere to be found as I bravely explored the town. – Chase Langford