Alice Denison paints floral blossoms as if they were the only subject in the world and, accordingly, she imbues their depictions with the psychological weight and emotional space of portraiture. These are not, however, still lives because they are very much not still. Her blossoms cascade and cluster in roiling painterly space; experiencing the crisscrossing gravities is part of the fun. Denison minimizes her use of the illusionistic devices that persuade us an image is really there, paring her rendering until the illusion is on the brink of collapse.

Denison continued her exploration of flowers by merging still life with pattern painting in her “Mixed Meta” series. Some paintings depict a large pitcher or urn floating in the center covered by densely layered flora and filigree. The vessel is the focus with the flowers in the supporting roles. Each painting is focused on a particular color story that’s been predetermined by Denison.

Alice Denison’s “Pangloss” paintings explode with energy and extravagance. Ornately rendered plants and flowers, floating on top of darker backgrounds as if they were sewn into tapestries, appear otherworldly, with a dreamlike rendering unlike most grounded still lifes. While ostensibly decorative, the paintings reward prolonged inspection.

Denison received her MFA at Massachusetts College of Art and Design at the Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, in 2007 and was a Mass Cultural Council Painting Fellow Winner in 2018.