Many artists speak of capturing the “beauty of the mundane.” The focus of this series is a single mundane activity: getting the car washed. Sharisse Grannan uses the visually dynamic nature of this commonplace experience as a playful opportunity to draw viewers’ attention to the rich, painterly abstractions that surround us every day. Sharisse has worked in art museums throughout her career, and her encounters with the abstract expressionists and color field painting have inspired this series. As in her other work, in Car Wash Sharisse creates images that allude to realities without fully describing them.

The titles of the works in this series are a lighthearted nod to the idea that the car wash is a satisfying journey of sorts, with a simple beginning, middle, and end. Sharisse’s hope is that as our own personal stories unfold, we can “hit neutral” long enough to absorb our visually lush surroundings every day.