December 9, 2005 through January 28, 2006

Anne Siems: Portraits

This exhibit of paintings features Anne's current series of portraits. Fascinated by 19th c. photographs of women as well as more recent snapshots of a friend’s young daughter, Anne considers the nature of portraiture and its vocabulary in this body of work.

These paintings on panel share the formal elements of those 19th c. photographs: the peculiar stiffness, the impassive expressions. In Anne’s work, however, the portraits convey a timelessness rather than archaic frozen moments. The pale silhouettes shine against golden backgrounds filled with images of flowers, butterflies and assorted woodland creatures, hinting at histories and dreams both universal and enigmatic.

Birdwoman, 2005, mixed media on panel, 48" x 48"


Family Portrait, 2005, mixed media on panel, 40" x 40"


Orange Blossoms, 2005, mixed media on panel, 30" x 30"


Silent, 2005, mixed media on panel, 30" x 30"


Skinbirds, 2005, mixed media on panel, 48" x 48"