“Neo-Suburban Palouse”
Central Washington University graduate and egg tempera painter Nathan DiPietro has a new collection of eerie paintings which contrast the openness of farmlands with the confines of suburbia called “Neo-Suburban Palouse." Yes, it’s on display in Seattle, at the PUNCH Gallery until the 26th (119 Prefontaine Pl S, 621-1945. Noon–5 pm, free.) However, if you’re in the area or if you're simply a west side reader, it’s definitely worth taking a look. Below is the press release from the PUNCH Gallery, and you can visit Di Pietro’s work HERE. 
"PUNCH presents a series of new landscapes by egg tempera painter Nathan DiPietro. DiPietro's stylized visions of utopian life are based upon the desires of suburban culture. The worlds he depicts are the imagined intersections of farming symbols and the suburban thirst for security and uniformity. Land is sculpted and carved, then divided with fences and gates. Water is contained in concrete pools; rivers are tamed and flow as desired. Trees are spaced and manicured in perfect unison. Experiences by the inhabitants of these worlds are carefully planned and controlled. The barn, rolling green hills, and blue sky are iconography commonly used to evoke nostalgia, and conjure ideas of safety, uniformity, peace and prosperity. The resulting images express a world for that is not only beautiful and deeply nostalgic, but also unnerving and ironic. DiPietro is interested in how American Regionalists used these symbols in the early 20th century and how the symbolic meanings within these images have abstracted and transformed over time. For DiPietro, infusing utopic suburban landscapes with pastoral iconography is a deeply seductive act."
