Wear your party dress and accessorize with your tool belt for artist Kelly Reemtsen’s latest exhibition “Paper and Chalk” pastels on paper and the debut of works by the artist in a new medium- woodcut.
The pastels and two woodcuts incorporate Reemtsen’s signature image of a female dressed in flirty, ultra-feminine party attire reminiscent of a 1950’s housewife while carrying a hard, cold implement used for
manual labor. This juxtaposition leaves the observer wondering if the figure is chopping down a tree or planning something more ominous.
The masculine and feminine make for a cool debate on whether the artist is celebrating or mocking the idea that a woman can do it all and still make it to the dinner party on time. The figures are depicted from the shoulders down with just a hint of leg- rendering them both anonymous and mysterious. It appears the works may be conveying a message of “just get the job done”.
The fourteen pastels in this exhibition are the result of the artist’s inspiration while sketching with pastels last year. Sketching and color studies have always been part of the preparation for her paintings but, the resulting vivid color gave the artist the passion to continue to create finished works of the now iconic figure of a woman with a tool.
See the final result and meet the artist….Please leave any blunt objects at home.
The event takes place Saturday September 8th 5-7 pm at Skidmore Contemporary Art, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave. D-2, Santa Monica, CA 90404
