81 Leonard Gallery is pleased to present new paintings by Nancy Pantirer in Sacred Scraps, on view from October 13th through November 30th in the gallery windows and accompanied by an online exclusive. Featuring mixed-media collage paintings made from the union of fragmented old paintings and fresh gestures, Sacred Scraps illustrates Nancy Pantirer’s ongoing love affair with and investigation of Painting.

Pantirer’s most recent body of work is an accumulation of years of painting, both in theory and physicality. Layering scraps of canvas and paper with acrylic paint, the artist revisits memories through repurposing paintings made during different periods of her life and career. “They are like love letters to myself,” Pantirer says about rediscovering sometimes decades-old pieces, which she felt compelled to hold on to but never to show previously. Rich details like an intriguing splatter or the faint outline of a human hand finally find their purpose in new abstract compositions.

Though Pantirer approaches this process with the tenderness of paging through one’s own diary, there is a degree of risk involved. In bringing pieces back to life, there is also the possibility of loss. With this in mind, Pantirer spends weeks laying out and visualizing compositions before adhering anything to the surface of the canvas or panel. It is a playful, puzzle-like process which becomes precarious as soon as gel medium is involved. The result, nevertheless, is much greater than the sum of its parts. Pantirer’s layering of mixed media floats certain elements on the surface while merging other information into the background, obscuring the timeline of which fragment was laid first. The use of varied black tones and acrylic medium finishes aids in this dynamic effect.

​Nancy Bergman Pantirer is a New York-based artist working primarily in large-scale abstract painting. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Hartford Art School at the University of Hartford, as well a Master of Arts from Montclair State College. She further refined her craft through graduate coursework at Tufts University Museum School in Boston and Pratt University in New York. Her painting and sculpture have been exhibited throughout the country and can be found in collections such as the University of Hartford, as well as in corporate and private collections. Her studio is located in Tribeca, New York City.