Caroline Larsen's second solo exhibition at Craig Krull Gallery, entitled "Poolside", combines the oozy paint of Van Gogh with the domestic pools, lawns, and gardens of Hockney. "Before settling in New York", she remembers, "we would visit LA at least twice a year.

The landscape, climate and architecture are so unlike the places where I was raised, Toronto and Sarasota." Squeezing, weaving, and plopping, Caroline Larsen plays with brilliantly colored paint until it is more than just the image that it's describing. The flowers are lusciously embroidered, the pointed leaves wave off the surfaces, and the tree trunks are daubed with hundreds of juicy dots. Her skies are formed by spaghetti strings of paint in vivid arcs and concentric patterns.

Larsen's treatment of her surfaces playfully reminds us that her paintings are first and foremost objects, which are materializations of her visual recollections. "These paintings were made on the East Coast with the idea of LA in mind, and they are now returning to the source of their inspiration." The paint in Larsen's mountainscapes resembles folded and bunched Navajo blankets. The surface appears to be woven and has the quality of textiles. As Larsen recalls, "my mother was a seamstress, and our home was always filled with beautiful tablecloths and pillows."