In choosing subjects for Karen Perl's paintings, she often forgets that certain corners and locations, though recognizable and familiar to her, are completely unknown to most people. She paints what is of interest, where the light falls in a specific way, and where she feels an emotional resonance. Once she paints a building or location, it becomes part of her repertoire of subjects and an item on her personal guided tour of Chicago. By contrast, most of the paintings in this exhibition illustrate locations that are very well known. But landmark status notwithstanding, they are also places to which she is attached. Perl documents them, adding them to the list of her personal emotional landmarks.
