So grateful for this nuanced interpretation of my work written by John Clements, “The Paradox of Evil (Il Paradosso del Male)”, published in Rivista Sottopelle, “The Step of Evil: Violence, Guilt, and Responsibility Beyond The Tale of Good and Bad” (Il Passo Del Male: Violenza, cola e responsabilità oltre la favola die buonib e cattivi). Written in Italian and translated into English (see below), Spanish, and French. I’ve been wrestling with morality and I’m glad someone picked up what I’m putting down. Nothing is ever black or white. The protagonist of one story is the antagonist in another. Perhaps the farther away we can get from any dualistic worldview the better off we all will be. Just food for thought. The inquiry goes on.
Awarded Artist-in-Residency position at Laguna Lab
I’m very excited to announce that I have been invited to be the inaugural Artist-in-Residence at Laguna Lab in Sebastopol. I’ll be painting on-site in their resident studio for the next 8 weeks, developing a new series of paintings to be exhibited in mid-July. I can’t wait to share all that comes of this exciting opportunity. Very grateful to Jonas Goldstein and Timo Ryan for the opportunity to more deeply connect with this dynamic and inspiring community.
Photo credit: Michelle Magdalena Maddox
LA Art Week: Dialogues on the Knoll Fundraiser with Project Angel Food
Proud to have my work included in the Project Angel Food fundraiser at Dialogues on the Knoll. A portion of all artwork sales will be donated directly to Project Angel Food’s mission:
Project Angel Food has been delivering medically tailored meals with love and dignity to people facing serious illness across Los Angeles County since 1989. With more than 19 million meals served to date, they’re a leading voice in the Food Is Medicine movement, making sure no one battling illness goes without the nutrition they need. Today, they prepare and deliver over 1.5 million meals each year to more than 5,000 clients.
February 28th from 3-8pm
918 West Knoll Drive, West Hollywood
RSVP: assistant@kipton.com
Dialogues on the Knoll Panel Discussion
I’m super grateful I was able to attend the panel discussion for Dialogues on the Knoll curated by Kipton Cronkite, and for the opportunity to introduce my work after the panel conclusion. The conversation addressed the relationships between art, design, architecture, and media; and reflected upon recent gallery closures, alternative exhibition platforms for artists, while suggesting a myriad number of ways to help art and artists thrive in the changing economy. Speakers included James Frost, Christopher Gialanella, Ryan Gordon Jackson, Paul Lester, and Leo Marmol; the discussion was facilitated by both Kipton Cronkite and Todd Williamson. The exhibition runs until mid-March, and is available for viewing by appointment- email assistant@kipton.com.
Arroscia Artist-in-Residence 2025
I’m honored to share that I’ve been awarded a grant and invited to be an artist-in-residence at the Arroscia Residency in Pieve di Teco, Italy, taking place this September through October.
Located in the enchanting Ligurian Alps, the Arroscia Residency is dedicated to supporting emerging and mid-career contemporary artists through time, space, and community engagement. I’m deeply grateful for this opportunity to immerse myself in such a beautiful environment and to connect with the local artist community. I look forward to sharing new work and insights from this experience.
Grazie mille to the Arroscia Residency team for this incredible opportunity!
Read more online: www.arrosciaresidency.org/upcoming-residents
Friend of the Artist Volume 18
I’m excited to announce that my work has been selected for Friend of the Artist Volume 18, a quarterly printed publication that showcases the work of artists internationally. Friend of The Artist aims to create a supportive ecosystem for artists from around the globe by shining a spotlight on emerging talent, and sharing their work with a wider audience.
For Volume 18, my work was selected by Mónica Ramírez-Montagut, Executive Director of the Parrish Art Museum. Ramírez-Montagut is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) United States Board of Directors and a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors.
Copies are now available for purchase online! Click here to purchase your copy with an artist discount included.
Collaboration with Geometry
I'm pleased to announce a collaboration with Geometry, a company fusing art, design, and function in the world of home interiors. This partnership introduces a new line of textiles featuring abstract compositions from my oil paintings.
Each piece offers a tasteful integration of art and utility. Browse the launch of the collection, and elevate your living space with painterly elegance.
Use my affiliate code at checkout to get a 15% discount on all purchases. Affiliate code: KBAKER15
Geometry Artist Highlight: A Journey Through Art With Kristina Rose Baker
I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the Geometry team to help promote our new line of home textiles.
Read what I had to say about my daily inspirations, rituals, influences, and motivations online at the Geometry blog.
2023 Rising Stars
I am honored to be a part of Saatchi Art’s 2023 Rising Stars campaign. Selected by Rebecca Wilson (Chief Curator & VP Art Advisory), Erin Remington (Director of Sales & Curation), and Megan Wright (Senior Curator), my work is included in the Figurative Art category, aptly titled “The Observers”.
For over a decade, Saatchi’s curators have published their definitive list of recent art school graduates and up-and-coming artists you should invest in now. This year they’ve designated 28 emerging artists— many of whom have recently graduated from BFA and MFA programs—who are making some of the most compelling and collectible art today. Some are continuing the legacies of art history giants, others are using new technologies, many are exploring contemporary issues and themes, and yet all are creating powerful work which has a strong potential to increase in value.
View the 2023 Rising Stars campaign online: https://www.saatchiart.com/stories/rising-stars-2023
Simulated Memory at She/They Gallery for Contemporary Womyn's Art
I’m excited to announce the opening of my solo exhibition “Simulated Memory” with She/They Gallery of Contemporary Womyn’s Art in Santa Ana, CA. I will be exhibiting new 21 oil and watercolor paintings from the past year.
The opening reception is on September 3rd, 2022 from 5pm - 9pm, and the gallery is located on the second floor of the Santora Arts Building, within the Artist Village. If you are in the Orange County/SoCal area, I would love to see you there! The show will run from September 1 - 26, 2022.
Friend of the Artist Volume 13
My work has been featured in Volume 13 of Friend of the Artist! Three paintings from my “Precipice” series are displayed among the works of 53 artists from 8 different countries. The selection was juried by Alice Bonnot, Marco Galvan, Camilla Moresi, and the FOA staff.
“Friend of the Artist is a platform dedicated to showcasing the work of extremely talented emerging artists from around the world. Each volume is unique and features a diversity of aesthetics and ideas.”
On the cover of Marie Nimier's novel, "Le Palais de Orties"
My oil painting “Helena” was chosen for the cover of Marie Nimier’s novel, “Les Palais des Orties” published by Gallimard. https://www.gallimard.fr/Catalogue/GALLIMARD/Folio/Folio/Le-Palais-des-Orties
No Big Heads
Excited to announce my painting “Sinking In” was selected to be a part of “No Big Heads”, a Group Exhibition at Hugh McPeck Gallery. The exhibition is up until October 24th.
“Sinking In”, Oil on panel, 10” x 10”
New Work for Indian Wells
I’ve been busy preparing for the Indian Wells Arts Festival, creating lots of new work to display for next month. I love participating in art fairs because it inspires me to paint and make new things since I know I have a venue to display my paintings in, and there is an upcoming deadline. The pressure is on! It makes me feel a bit like I’m back in art school painting like crazy in preparation for a critique, and I thrive in that kind of environment. I’ll slowly be posting new paintings online and on Instagram as the festival approaches. Excited that I’ve started to make some new desert inspired landscapes! Very new for me, and a departure from my infatuation with the color green.
A statement about the recent works:
My current practice is a paradox between absence and presence.
Using watercolor or oil paint on paper, I distill a landscape down to its most essential elements and abstracted forms. The negative shapes take on a prominent role in the paintings, often creating silhouettes of human figures enmeshed in the surrounding landscape. Painterly gestures and mark-making techniques are juxtaposed with highly-rendered flora.
The process is exclusively additive, as each mark on the stark white surface cannot be erased or undone. The paintings allude to an influence of Chinese landscape painting, especially in their rhythms and intentional use of blank space, or “nothingness”. They convey “inner landscapes of the mind” more so than accurate, external ones- they are reflections of sanctuary and inner spirit. The paintings seek to highlight a sense of permanence within nature and the spiritual world, contrasted with the temporal quality of human existence.
Indian Wells Arts Festival
I am excited to announce that i have been selected as one of the artists to participate in this year’s 2019 Indian Wells Arts Festival!
“With a celebrated reputation for its high quality and wide variety of fine art and quality craft, the Festival has been ranked one of the “100 Best Fine Art Shows in the country” by Sunshine Artist magazine; “Best of the Best” by Palm Springs Life magazine; and ranked in the top 100 in both fine art fairs and fine craft shows by Greg Lawler’s Art Source Book; a Top-3 Southern California Getaway by The Examinor.”
Join me in the desert from March 29th - 31st! More details to come leading up to the event- Stay posted.
Read more online and purchase tickets at https://www.indianwellsartsfestival.com/index.html
Kevin Barry Fine Art
A few of my paintings are currently on their way to be displayed in Kevin Barry Fine Art at Bergamot Station, Santa Monica!
Kevin Barry Fine Art “is a leading international art consultancy, offering expert advice on fine art purchase and placement. [They] have been in business for over 20 years and know that an experienced fine art consultant working with high profile architects, interior designers, key private collectors, investors, and corporate, healthcare and hospitality brands can make the difference between an adequate project, and an award-winner. [Their] experts in Los Angeles, San Francisco & Las Vegas have assisted them through fine art consulting by sourcing and displaying exceptional modern and contemporary art for interior designers and are always grateful for the opportunity to work with the creative and talented members of the design community.”
More details and photos coming soon.
Post Holiday Market Sale
What a successful holiday market at Daydream Surf Shop this past Sunday! I had a great time chatting with so many new folks and it was great to see some familiar faces who came to support and get first dibs on some new work I had available for sale. Here’s a selection of some of the artwork sold this past weekend:
Stay posted for more markets, shows, and upcoming events in the New Year!
-KB
Holiday Pop Up
Tomorrow at Daydream Surf Shop! 1588 Monrovia Ave, Newport Beach, CA. Ill be out from 9am - 3pm selling original drawings, watercolors, and prints. Come swing by to support me and other local creatives, and get your last minute holiday gifts!
The Other Art Fair
Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support and see my paintings this past weekend at The Other Art Fair! What a whirlwind! I am so grateful for all the connections, new faces, and lovely artists I got the chance to meet while at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.
Thursday was such a crazy rush- with my car and a van packed with all my paintings, display supplies, and tools, I drove from Orange County up to Santa Monica. I arrived at 10am to prepare and set up for the VIP opening reception that evening. However, I arrived to find that the painting crew had not finished painting my walls! I waited an additional two hours to begin hanging as the painters finished up the walls and we gave them ample time to dry. It took about 5 hours to hang and prepare everything for the opening.
The Private View opening reception was sold out and packed with curators, gallery representatives, collectors, and art lovers of all kinds. I got an overwhelming response to my paintings and made some great connections. My work “Reef” was also a part of Kate Bryan’s “31 Women” exhibition- read my previous post for more information- this mini exhibition within the fair was a big hit. I also found out that I was the youngest person exhibiting at the Fair this Fall. I couldn’t believe it!
Friday was just as busy as Thursday night, and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to so many people in depth about my work. Most people were very intrigued and amazed at the amount of texture, alternative materials, and three-dimensional elements within my paintings. Friday evening was Friends and Family evening, and I was thrilled to see so many people I love come out to support me, see my paintings, and enjoy a fun evening socializing and looking at art.
The rest of the weekend was more mellow, and I could relax by my work and enjoy chatting with many interesting visitors, art lovers, art students, families, and more. I was also thrilled about getting to connect with some of the other artists in the fair! I know I will be keeping in touch with many and am excited about new artistic friendships.
I am grateful for the works that found new homes and for such an overwhelmingly positive, loving, emotional, and moving response to my paintings. I am newly inspired to paint and can’t wait to start my new body of work. I am so thankful the fair has given me newfound energy, enthusiasm, and inspiration to bring back into my studio.
Post Artober
Thanks to everyone who came out to Artober Fest at the LAB this past weekend! Such a fun event with some awesome vendors. I’m happy to have met so many new people and to have some of my original drawings and prints placed in new homes!
Some of my highlighted and sold works:
And I’m so excited about my trade with Heidiroo and her awesome stickers!! Check out her work online at http://www.heidiroo.com. She has a really sweet online shop!
31 Women
I am excited to announce that I have been selected as one of the 31 artists presenting work for Kate Bryan’s ‘31 Women’ exhibition onsite at The Other Art Fair next week!
Drawing inspiration from Peggy Guggenheim's landmark 1943 show 'Exhibition by 31 Women' and marking our 31st global edition, The Other Art Fair is dedicating a section of the Fall LA fair to rising female art stars.
Curated by Kate Bryan, Arts Broadcaster and Head of Collections for Soho House and Co. globally, 31 Women marks the 31st edition of The Other Art Fair and the 75th year anniversary of the iconic exhibition of the same name at Peggy Guggenheim’s gallery, Art of This Century.
31 women takes the form of a small exhibition within the main context of the fair, highlighting one work each by 31 female artists who are all participating in The Other Art Fair LA. This mini salon draws together sculpture, collage, neon, photography, figurative and abstract painting in the same inclusive spirit of Guggenheim’s original show.
The original 31 women took place in January 1943 at Guggenheim’s New York gallery. It was the first exhibition of its kind to highlight women artists who were largely absent from mainstream gallery and museum shows. Over 7 decades later permanent collections in museums across Europe and North America have on average only 3-5% artwork by female artists. At best you can hope to see women’s artwork around 30% of the time in a progressive gallery or institution, in most it is often far less. This exhibition is therefore part homage to Guggenheim, one of the greatest art patrons of the twentieth century, but it is also part protest against the continued male dominance of the art world today.