REIMAGINED: A Modern Approach to Traditional Art
Where Digital and Organic Meet
This exhibition explores a space between worlds—where contemporary digital tools and traditional artist materials come together to create something entirely new. At its core is a process of transformation: not the enhancement of an image, but its reimagining.
What begins as a reference evolves through layers of digital brushwork and continues to develop through the physical application of oils, pastels, texture, and cold wax. The result is not a rendering or a filtered interpretation, but a fully realized work of art—one that carries the depth, surface, and presence of a painting.
This approach is part of an ongoing exploration, informed by years of studying traditional painting and a continued fascination with how artists have handled paint, light, and surface over time. While the tools may be modern, the intention is grounded in a deep respect for the language of painting.
initial rendering in the painting software
tools of the trade: electronic brush & artists brush
oil embellishments on the printed canvas
A Long Curiosity with the Altered Image
My personal work has always pushed beyond the static image. For decades, I’ve explored ways to shift and transform what is captured—through hand-tinting, Polaroid transfers, liquid light, pencils and pastels, and experimental darkroom processes.
That early exploration was never about perfection. It was about possibility—about discovering how an image could be shaped into something more expressive and more alive.
Today, that same curiosity continues in a different form. The tools have evolved, but the intention remains: to move beyond what is given and create something that stands on its own.
mixing and applying oil paints
using a palette knife to apply cold wax texture
applying pastels and pastel pencils to paper or canvas
In Pursuit of an Organic Mark
In recent years, that exploration has become more focused—centered on the search for a truly organic mark.
Digital tools can easily produce something smooth or overly blended. It’s common to see images softened or stylized and presented as painting. That has never been the goal for me.
With a background in art history and years spent studying paintings in museums, I have a deep understanding of what gives a brushstroke its integrity—its edge, its movement, its presence. Whether working with an electronic stylus or a physical brush, I am always seeking that same authenticity.
A Sketchbook in My Pocket
Travel has long been part of how I see and gather inspiration. I’m often moving through the world with little more than my iPhone in hand—whether close to home in Maine or farther afield in Cuba or Morocco—capturing moments as they unfold.
These images on my camera roll become a kind of digital sketchbook. A way of collecting light, color, gesture, and atmosphere to return to later in the studio.
What begins as a simple capture becomes something more considered over time—reshaped through memory, observation, and the act of painting itself.
Where the Work Comes to Life
The final stage of the process is where the work fully shifts.
The image is brought into the physical world and developed through layers of oils, pastels, texture, and cold wax. These materials introduce a tactile surface—one that holds light, variation, and depth in a way that cannot exist on a screen.
It is here that the work becomes fully realized. Not just an image, but an object. Something dimensional, present, and enduring.
working with pastel pencils
applying oil paint
adding cold wax to the canvas
Exhibition Details
This solo exhibition is on view at the Salem Arts Association at Pickering Wharf in Salem, Massachusetts, opening alongside the American Dream group show.
Opening Reception:
Friday, May 1, 2026 | 6–8pm
Artist Gallery Talk:
Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 7–8pm
Exhibition Dates:
May 2 – June 13, 2026
Gallery Hours:
Friday, Saturday & Sunday | 12–6pm
Location:
Salem Arts Association, 88 Wharf Street, Salem, MA (Pickering Wharf, next to Finz Restaurant)
The show is open to the public, and is handicapped accessible.
Like to See More?
If you’re curious to explore more personal work or learn about commissioning a portrait feel free to reach out.
Bobbie Bush is a Massachusetts-based portrait artist creating custom portrait painting commissions to honor, celebrate and commemorate loved ones. Serving nationally. Since 1996.