Blog at 40, Artshow at 40, Musing 3
This is the third post in this mini-series of photos from my recent show with some of my appreciative / personal musings, one blog post per artist (first post here, second post here), this time looking at the expressive figurative mixed media of Beth Keener.
Recap: t wasn’t an official Les Femmes Folles exhibition, but the show was in the spirit; artwork by 6 womxn-identified artist around the body, in a womxn-run arts venue. Juxtaposing my work alongside other work and perspectives complicates and enlightens the narrative of all of our work. Pictured above is the exhibition wall and socially-distanced artists present from left to right, Beth Keener; Elisha Rush; Andrea Eridani; myself and Morgantown Art Party Director Jillian Kelley. Not pictured; Crystal Brown and Emily Prentice.
You can see Beth Keener’s modestly sized mixed media figurative painting here, bottom center. I love her angles, the contrast, her stunning ability to evoke provocation with just a few lines and hues. The star-like shape in the center is like “pow!” women hold innate strength.
Beth isn’t known for her figurative work--though the few I could find are just as powerful, such as this one from 2017:
Nude in Blue, Beth Keener, 2017
I just love the curves, expressive lines of the figure and the strength and push of the straight angled lines out from her. What I love about Beth’s work is it doesn’t follow a certain style, media or even topic. She makes these sleek, designer handbags for movie stars, designs creative and family friendly public art, creates heavily abstracted paintings and makes installation work with grass and other organic materials. In fact, I’m exhibiting with her right now at the WVU Alumni Center Nutting Gallery where she has some of her organic installations, abstract paintings alongside my body prints, making a really interesting narrative of environment, body and abstraction (as seen below).
In the figurative exhibit at Morgantown Art Party, Beth’s smaller work is bookended by two of my smaller figurative drawings, as seen in the photo above. My feminist tribute to Jenny Holzer at left reads “Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise,” a simple line drawing, as seen below.
The drawing at left is “Art Time Mama (Infinity)” created with my kids, with a sinuous line quality to the watercolor background, and a pencil figure at center. The juxtaposition of my political and domestic works with Beth’s both modest and strength-filled work encompasses a lot of what it means to be a woman.
Find more about Beth Keener on her Facebook page and website.
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Les Femmes Folles is a volunteer organization founded in 2011 with the mission to support and promote women in all forms, styles and levels of art from around the world with the online journal, print annuals, exhibitions and events; originally inspired by artist Wanda Ewing and her curated exhibit by the name Les Femmes Folles (Wild Women). LFF was created and is curated by Sally Brown Deskins. LFF Books is a micro-feminist press that publishes 1-2 books per year by the creators of Les Femmes Folles including the award-winning Intimates & Fools (Laura Madeline Wiseman, 2014) , The Hunger of the Cheeky Sisters: Ten Tales (Laura Madeline Wiseman/Lauren Rinaldi, 2015 and Mes Predices (catalog of art/writing by Marie Peter Toltz, 2017). Other titles include Les Femmes Folles: The Women 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 available on blurb.com, including art, poetry and interview excerpts from women artists. A portion of the proceeds from LFF books and products benefit the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Wanda Ewing Scholarship Fund.
Submissions always open! - Check out the 10th anniversary call here:
https://femmesfollesnebraska.tumblr.com/callforart-writing
