Forty years ago, Carol Lee Chase and Rod Massey exhibited together in a two-person show in Minneapolis; the rest is history. These longtime friends will present concurrent, solo exhibitions this October at Lowry Hill Gallery.

Rod Massey and Carol Lee Chase are two artists intent on observation with an eye for distilling the details. Their paintings express care for a shared environment, translated in paint with analog methods and imbued with evident connections to place and the passing of time.

Massey and Chase will both be present at their opening receptions on Saturday, October 24 from 2-5pm (please note the seasonal time change to the afternoon event).

The artists, alongside longtime friend Sally Johnson, will present a shared artist talk at the gallery on Saturday, November 7 at 4PM.

The exhibitions will be on view at Lowry Hill Gallery October 24 - November 28, 2026.

Carol Lee Chase | Now Where Was I?

Minneapolis artist Carol Lee Chase will present fifteen new paintings in her first gallery show since 2019. Chase retired in 2024 from an academic career, having taught at Whitman College, UW River Falls, and most recently at St. Catherine University.

Now Where Was I? comes at the end of a year of crisis in Minneapolis, and a period of change in Chase’s life and career. Landscape elements emerge as abstracted forms veiled in shadow, evoking recollections of experiences and locales. The exhibition title implies disorientation and distraction, as well as an awakening and return to Chase’s artistic work. Using glazing techniques to produce an even surface of saturated color, Chase creates an atmospheric haze that promises nothing, but delivers everything. Chase states:

“While the imagery is obviously connected to my observations of a location, placemaking (the feel of a location, its impact on me and my desire to connect others with it) is largely defined by distinctive effects of color, light and shadow, and what I am drawn to spiritually and aesthetically. These images represent a connection to a specific place and time; each becomes a portal to my memory of the location. I can remember distinctly where I was, whom I was with and why I was arrested by the image in front of me. This group of paintings is based on a collection of my photographs from recent years taken at various locations, from Lake Superior and the Midwestern prairie to the banks of the Mississippi River and the willow in my back yard.

“When I began this body of work, I was thinking about how different locales emanate certain energy and how I could transfer that energy into a painting. Through my work, I realized that I am drawn to places that hold kinetic visual qualities, whether that be active yet calm (like the sway of tall prairie grasses) or calm yet dynamic (like rolling waves on a lake). Each image in this exhibition holds a personal connection to a particular moment when I was engaged in looking and simply being, pondering what the image could reveal to me.

“This exhibition both roots me in and reminds me of the places I have been, and references how life’s experiences have shaped me. Distractions and hubris in the world can easily get the best of me at times, along with aging and the delight and dismay of falling into rabbit holes. Returning back to the work at hand in the studio has been a challenging, humbling and essential practice in preparation for this exhibition. Looking at these paintings helps to center and remind me of who I am and where I was.”