LeQuire Gallery | Through 5/31 | Nashville, TN

An Inspirational Exchange

Two established artists explore each other’s genre for a joint show at LeQuire Gallery

By Vanessa Françoise Rothe

An exciting multi-faceted exhibition is on view at LeQuire Gallery in Nashville. Inside/Outfeatures two of the gallery’s award-winning artists, Juliette Aristides and Lori Putnam, who work in different genres and different styles, but decided to exchange subjects and inspiration for this particular show. Aristides, known for her exquisitely-refined realism, focuses on figurative scenes typically set inside her slightly mysterious house. Putnam, known primarily as a landscape painter, creates loose and colorful works in plein air, as well as larger-scale studio pieces.

Lori Putman, Fisherman’s Den, 2025, oil on linen panel, 18 x 14"

Gallery director Elizabeth Cave notes, “While typically I wouldn’t pair different genres within the same exhibition, the subject matter—Aristides’ interiors and Putnam’s exteriors—are considered signature themes for each artist, and combining them was an intriguing thought.”

The artists started the exhibition with their usual subjects in mind however, while painting, they started to incorporate each other’s subject matter. The exhibition will include Aristides’ popular interiors in addition to new landscapes; while Putnam will present warm and colorful interiors of her home and studio. Inside Outis the result of the artists being tasked to adopt the other’s subject. Cave says, “The assignment is just another day for the two ‘all-stars,’ highly regarded in their respective fields of impressionism and realism, but the end result is exciting for collectors and critics, considering they have never exhibited together.”

Juliette Aristides, Greenwood, 2025, oil on panel, 28 x 22"

Beyond the subject matter that unites Aristides and Putnam in this show, is the common use of lighting in their works. Both understand light and its importance in capturing a moment, and to draw the viewer in to discover more. In her painting Greenwood, Aristides uses the light streaming in from a window to highlight the colors of the sky reflected on the table. About her work in the show, Aristides says, “It is conventional wisdom that an artist should work within one genre, yet I create work based on my curiosity wherever it may lead me. These landscapes offer me a chance to explore the wider horizons of nature. Landscape is different from the figure on the surface, yet light hitting the forms of the body have some similarities. Light is beautiful in all its forms whether it’s catching the curves of a neck, cascading down a face or raking across a wall. In this show, for the first time, I am turning my eyes to the source of light itself—the sun.”

Lori Putman, Signs of Clearing, oil on linen panel, 24 x 30"

Putnam similarly shines light on both her exterior and interior subjects. In Fisherman’s Den she captures light coming in a window and touching the bed. Putnam often travels to find inspiration and captures the character of the places she visits. “Everywhere I go, I look for the character of that place and what makes it different from any other place,” says Putnam. “It is not just the architecture that makes the coasts of Sicily different than that of Maine. It is the color of the sun, the taste in the air and the sound of the sea. Clouds over a gray Tennessee barn are different than those on the Great Plains of Wyoming. Like the subtle greys in Signs of Clearing, I want viewers to know the difference.” Putnam’s paintings transport us around the world, from seaside villages to intimate interiors, to experience the colors, textures and sights from an artist’s point of view. Together, the exhibition becomes a cohesive collection where visitors can admire various techniques and styles, lighting and subject matter, all within one room.