Gregory Bridges: LAGNIAPPE – “a little something extra” | Opening Reception

Lagniappe (LAN-yap), “a little something extra,” features twenty works by Baltimore painter Greg Bridges. A self-taught artist, Bridges delivers the vision of a unique personal history and evolution of experimental creative practice. The exhibition explores two themes: “what I see” and “what I feel” with dual intention to transform environments emotionally and create human connection through deeply personal visual expression.

Bridges draws heavily from his New Orleans, Louisiana heritage; a densely rich fusion of African American, French, Native American, and Spanish traditions. The exhibition title, LAGNIAPPE, is a Cajun term for “bonus”, and while several works invoke the spirit and tone easily associated with New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations, Greg also finds inspiration from very practical life circumstances. Over the years, he has reinterpreted the need for his intention to ‘transform environments’ through a combination of introspection and an expressive attempt toward personal examination. This progression paired with a keen attention to community and geopolitical dialogues informs his subject matter.

The artist’s encounter with Abstraction occurred approximately 30 years ago while visiting a gallery in Memphis, Tennessee; and was described as “transformative”. He recalls “The galleries gave me visual language for something I had already been experiencing internally. I realized that abstract art could communicate the same distortions, emotional impressions, and dreamlike imagery that emerge from the subconscious mind.”

Additional search and study of abstract works and artists further inspired his ability to transform space with color, form, and texture in way he psychologically understood.

New Door Creative celebrates all artists whose expression is authentic, reflective, and original. Lagniappe is inspired; and embodies the atmospheres of place, recall, and imagination. The paintings featured are diverse in spirit, tone, and scale— more than a little extra.