SPOTLIGHT ARTISTS: MULTIMEDIA

“They may be gods” by Kate Rivers. Landscape made entirely of book spines and pages from theological topics.

Kate Rivers
Kate Rivers, mixed media oil painter from Santa Fe, New Mexico, uses her fascination of the materials that surround us to frame the world we live in. Rivers uncovers media from garage sales and second hand stores, capturing the physical world people often disregard as “trash.” Rivers, however, sees the beauty in this “trash.” She sees the stories behind materials and the connection of materials to people’s lives. Rivers often uses book covers and spines with oil stick to show the forgotten beauty and meaning of physical books.

Rivers’ “nest” series shows humans are very similar to birds. We like to collect and weave together resources to build a home. Each home is personalized, mapping the lives we have lived and the families we have built. Every home is about the layered colors, patterns, and pieces that tell our story. One of my favorite stories is when a widower brought Kate a shoebox of memories and she created a nest for the kind man who had recently lost his wife. I can’t think of any better way to memorialize someone than a piece of art that tells their story.

• Medium: oil paint, mixed media

• Galleries:

  • Blue Print Gallery (Dallas, TX)

  • David Anthony Fine Art (Taos, NM)

  • Gallery Orange (New Orleans, LA)

  • Joseph Gierek Fine Art (Tulsa, OK)

  • Rare Gallery (Jackson, WY)

  • Thornwood Gallery (Houston, TX)

  • Kay Contemporary Art (Santa Fe, NM)

• Size Range: 24x31 - 61x51

• Price Range: $2,700 - $16,000

Kate Rivers, “Letters and Memories”

Kate Rivers, “After the Hike”- the mixed media of her work is hard to capture on a screen so peruse the gallery links for a more accurate feel.

Kate Rivers, “Paradise”

I commissioned this piece with Kate many years ago by using color samples- it is a series of book spines arranged to mimic trees.

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Carol Barsha
Carol Barsha, Washington, D.C. mixed media artist, focuses her work on close observations of nature, extending them into more intricate, vibrant images. She uses nature’s beauty to look into the world and explore all the details of the natural world that people often look past. The geometry of nature - colors, patterns, light and shadows - inspire her paintings. She uses these elements in combination with mixed media (oil paint, watercolor, gouache, pastels, ink) to turn objects into deeper explorations of the world.

Barsha’s use of bright color palettes and bold shapes pull an uplifting feeling into each room. Her work reminds me of the emotion that floats through nature - how a sunny day or thick layer of haze can impact your mood. Her work is typically floating within the frame which really helps it breathe…once again mimicking the subject matter.

• Medium: mixed media

• Galleries:

  • Gallery Neptune & Brown (Washington, D.C.)

• Size Range: 30x22 - 47x58 3/4

• Price Range: $1,000 - $10,000

Carol Barsha, work in context of SWC spaces.

Carol Barsha, “Beauty Coming and Beauty Gone”

Carol Barsha, “Mount St. Angelo” Poppies are a recurring theme in her work which I really love.

Including an image of her pieces on display for scale and finished composition.

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Paul Rousso
Paul Rousso is a mixed media artist from Charlotte, North Carolina that toys with the the three-dimensional aspect of life, focusing on the lens of perspective. He fuses together painting, printing, welding, sculpting, and digital work to dance along the line of two-dimensional and three-dimensional views. His frequent use of money, advertisements, candy wrappers, and newspapers shows his fascination for the everyday paper of our lives - the paper we use to communicate. His complex and intricate pieces imitate human life, pushing people to explore between the creases of their own lives.

Rousso’s work is relatable to all people no matter the complexity. The work is interactive and almost begs to be touched. It is whimsy and nostalgia and who doesn’t need whimsy in their lives? The commentary is left up to the end user and perhaps that open ended message is what I like best about his pieces.

• Medium: mixed media

• Galleries:

  • Smith-Davidson Gallery (Amsterdam/Miami, FL)

  • Laura Rathe Fine Art (Dallas, TX/Houston, TX)

  • Vickers Collection/Vail Village Arts (Vail, CO/Aspen, CO)

  • Galerie de Bellefeuille (Montreal/Toronto)

  • Samuel Owen Gallery (Greenwich, CT/Nantucket, MA/Palm Beach, FL)

  • Proyecto H Contemporaneo (Madrid/Mexico City)

  • Simon Breitbard Fine Arts (San Francisco, CA/Menlo Park, CA)

  • Bel-Air Fine Art (Paris/Crans Montana/St. Tropez/Verbier/Knokke)

  • Lanoue Gallery (Boston, MA)

  • Whistler Contemporary Gallery (Whistler)

  • Unit London (Mayfair)

  • Rubine Red Gallery (Palm Springs, CA)

• Size Range: 21x36 - 54x75

• Price Range: $7,500 - $22,000

Paul Rousso, “It’s A Wonderful Life”

Paul Rousso, “Campbell’s 5 of 6”

Paul Rousso, “NY Times Arts and Leisure 3/6/16”

Paul Rousso in a space we worked on years ago, my first introduction.