New Feature Exhibition in October September 08 2018

Riitta Klint
Gaia's Wedding

On View: October 6 - 27, 2018
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 6, 4-7 PM
Artists Talk: Friday, October 12, 11 AM

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Riitta Klint is known for soft, ethereal, nonrepresentational scenes that reference landscapes. She typically begins her creative process by dripping, pooling and congealing paint onto a Claybord surface, allowing shapes to manifest organically.  She then searches for structure within these shapes and adds paint and pencil marks to continue to build each scene.

For this solo exhibition, Riitta continues to work in a similar fashion, however she chose to incorporate more representational forms and figures to create a narrative. As explained in her artist statement, this series was a way to combine her environmental concerns with her attraction to the concept of Gaia, the Greek goddess of the Earth. She elaborates that the exhibition title, Gaia’s Wedding, is “a metaphor for renewing our vows to our Earth, a promise to have and to hold, to restore the vitality, and to take gentle care of that delicate balance.” 

Most of Klint’s paintings are large in scale yet highly detailed.  While her work is striking to view from a distance, upon closer observation, a woven tapestry of shapes and colors unfolds, with lines and forms that keep the eyes moving throughout each piece. This intricate and majestic flow brings life to her work. As Klint summarizes, “Gaia is life. She represents the very soul of the Earth. She is the goddess who inhabits the planet, offering life and nourishment to all her children. Gaia, our Mother Earth, looks out for our beautiful blue planet. She celebrates and reminds us of our ancient symbiotic relationships. She reminds us that we are all one; spiritual beings sharing a human experience.”

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Originally from Finland, Riitta Klint now lives and works as an artist full time from her studio in Miami, Florida.  She received a BS in Fashion Design and Textiles from the University of Texas at Austin, spent time in the corporate world as the Human Resources Director for a national restaurant chain, and then, in 1999, decided to follow her passion for the arts and went back to school to receive her BFA from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.  She is currently represented by several galleries in the United States and in Europe, including the Miami and Paris based Art Vitam and Be&Art, Arts on Douglas in New Smyrna Beach, FL., and the WIT Gallery in Lenox, MA. Along with gallery representation, she is also involved in several public and private commissions in the Miami area.

Image Above: Riitta Klint, Diana, (detail) acrylic and pencil on Claybord, 48 x 36 inches