New Zealand Meets Los Angeles

New Zealand artist to make her U.S. debut with a new art exhibition in Corey Helford Gallery.

New Zealand artists to make her United States debut with a new series of oil on aluminum portraits at  Downtown Los Angeles’ Corey Helford Gallery.

On Saturday, Feb. 25, Meredith Marsone will present her exhibition Arbitrary Dreams.

“This body of work centers around the emotional life and the internal workings of the female experience, as I know it to be – the complexities of being highly involved in wounds, at the same time aware of a higher state of awareness that relieves those hurts,” Marsone says. “It’s a very personal exploration, which has been a largely intuitive journey, producing work that involves a high level of vulnerability. As artists, we expose ourselves whenever we create, but to say openly, ‘This work is about my internal world, my failings and my realizations,’ opens me even further.”

Marsone depicts the essence of connection and how we emotionally identify with each other in her uniquely painted portraits. Often, she juxtaposes realistic details against areas of impasto, paint applied thickly enough that the brush and painting-knife strokes are visible. The figure underneath is fully rendered and the gestural paintwork is applied over the top, revealing an intimate glance, a blush, or the slightest touch of skin between the people portrayed. The purpose of this risky application is to create what she calls “an emotional currency, an access point for connection.”

“See Me” by Meredith Marsone

“As a parallel to this statement, is my methodology, which is also full of risk and trust. I render my figures lifelike, painstaking work, which requires all of my skill and concentration. Only to be followed by a highly intuitive stage involving bold decisions, holding my breath, risking the work gone before, and a lot of paint!” Marsone explains. “This work is me – openly, lovingly and honestly presented to you, for you, to take what you like from it. Ultimately, I hope you find connection or understanding, or some kind of recognition that we are all, fundamentally, the same.”

The opening reception for Arbitrary Dreams will be hosted Feb. 25 from 7 p.m. – 11 p.m. at Corey Helford Gallery (571 S Anderson St #1, Los Angeles, CA 90033). The reception is open to the public, and the exhibition is on view through March 25.