ROMI CORTIER’S BLOG

Cleaning. Friend or Enemy

Breaking & Entering

Pink Water Hose

Artist:KellyReemsten 

While wandering through galleries at a recent exhibition in the Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, I discovered a single painting in a group show at Skidmore Contemporary Art, that highly intrigued me. It was of a headless female figure in a black and white striped dress holding a pipe wrench… possibly vintage, possibly new. The work appeared again in a recent email promoting an exhibition at the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard California… so I decided to do some research and learn more about the work to understand why it fascinated me. Turns out the artist is Kelly Reemsten, who initially studied fashion design in the fine arts  department of Central Michigan University and CSU Longbeach.

Reemsten notes in a recent interview: This work  refers to how a woman views herself vs. how she’s perceived outwardly by others. It is also about the role of a modern woman. What is expected of her and how she rarely lives up to all of the expectations. She may be a pretty picture, but totally destroyed on the inside. 

‘I’m a woman’  the early 60’s song sung by Peggy Lee, surely must have reflected society’s expectations of  women during that time period. Judging by the amount of women who go under the knife every year to achieve outward perfection, it appears little has changed. The recent 10 hour surgery that Heidi Montag undertook at age 23, tells us just how high the bar has been raised… to be flawlessly perfect is the only way to be acceptable. That is why I found the recent film ‘NINE’ to be so enjoyable (I know, it was panned by the critics) but it allowed women to be sexy at any age by owning their sexuality and sensuality.  Dame  Judy Dench in a bustier at age 76, singing Folies Bergere ,was remarkable to me. Has she had work done… maybe, maybe not. But she’s comfortable in her own skin, and that’s what makes her so enjoyable to watch. This is where wisdom comes in… and Kelly Reemsten’s paintings tackle women’s perceptions of themselves and the absurd expectations that are placed on them. 

Learn more about Kelly’s work at: www.kellyreemsten.com

Photo: Romi Cortier

The Artist Studio Open House, which coincided with the Palm Springs Modernism Week, was a resounding success. Over 100 people came through the home during the 2 day event, soaking up the spectacular mountain views, learning about what it takes to renovate and create a mid century gem such as this, while also enjoying original art work that was either created for the home or inspired by moments of play in the pool.

Visiting from as far away as Toronto, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston and Seattle, guests learned about the home as a furnished vacation rental, while others considered  the home as a possible investment. Frequent bookings make the home nearly impossible to show to potential buyers, therefore, the home is not listed on the MLS. However, realtor Lisa Casey with Greater Palm Springs Realty is available to answer questions in the event of a serious enquiry. She can be reached at 760.641.8772.

Book this home for your vacation rental  at: 

http://www.vacationpalmsprings.com/home_detail.php?home_name=midcentury-home-life

I will be hosting an ‘Artist Studio’ open house at my home in Palm Springs during the Palm Springs Modernism Week. My home, a renovated ‘Alexander’ built in 1958, is also a furnished vacation rental represented by Vacation Palm Springs. This open house is an opportunity to view both the home itself, as well as my original artwork which is for sale – starting for as little as $125. Some of the pieces were custom made for this home, while other works were created from photos taken at the home.  Their will be over 40 original works of art available for sale. 

February 13th & 14th, 11:00 am – 4:00pm

Pool and Cabana

    

Kitchen

Red Marilyn

Red Ball #3

Spider Mum Installation

 

 

 

 

Time for the twice yearly Brewery Artwalk near downtown Los Angeles. You never know what treasure you’ll find, plus it’s free! That is unless you make a purchase and support the arts. Get there early, it always fills up.

www.breweryartwalk.com

Mary Hart from Entertainment Tonight was in the salon today to see her stylist Arrick Anderson, and took note of this wall mural that I’d painted on our reception room wall when we first opened nine years ago. It was the first time that she’d really ’seen’ it, and was completely moved by it. Interestingly, another person in the salon today had the same experience, so it got me thinking that it might be nice to share it with a larger audience…  

This was Nelson Mandella’s Inauguration Speech in 1994, however, the author is believed to be Marianne Williamson from A Course in Miracles.  Enjoy!!

Here’s a great documentary for any architecture geeks like myself. I loved this film when I saw it in Palm Springs, and immensely enjoyed chatting with the film maker Eric Briker. It was so moving, that I plan to see it again this week while it’s in Los Angeles.  Hope to see you there!!

A recent article that I wrote about wigs has been featured on todays RealSelf.com Blog, as part of Octobers Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. The article gives readers an in depth look at wig options while going through chemotherapy. 

 http://www.realself.com/blog/Breast-cancer-awareness-wig-guide

Mac, Retna, "Gracias a la Vida", 2009, Spray Paint, Acrylic on Canvas, 11 X 11 feet

Mac, a photorealist with spray paint, and Retna, a traditional brush artist who creates abstract embellishments and calligraphic fonts, have teamed up for a widely anticipated first time gallery show at the Robert Berman Gallery. Having created over 20 murals around the globe, this show will feature both individual works prior to their meeting, as well as current large scale collaborative pieces such as the one shown above.  This retrospective will run through October 17, 2009.

Robert Berman Gallery, [Gallery C2 + D5] Bergamot Station Art Center, 2525 Michigan Avenue, Santa Monica Ca. 90404

www.robertbermangallery.com

Design for Obama

Authors Aaron Perry-Zucker and Spike Lee

Here’s a great new book hitting the stands this November 4th, Design for Obama-Posters for Change: A Grass Roots Anthology.

This book features 200 works of poster art, created by both professional and novice designers from around around the world, for the 2008 Obama presidential campaign. Taschen Books is launching the book on the one year anniversary Barack’s historic win, and features an essay by historian Steven Heller, as well as a foreward by Aaron Perry-Zucker who started this collaborative poster project. I hope this book of art will help remind our country why we voted for change, and renew our efforts to stand firm in our convictions. 

Pre order it at: http://www.amazon.com/Design-Obama-Steven-Heller/dp/3836518562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248395733&sr=8-1

Wayne Thiebaud, Two Paint Cans, 1987, Oil on Paper, mounted on board

Over 120 works of the celebrated artist Wayne Thiebaud will be on display at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. I previously posted about this exhibit after seeing it at the Palm Springs Museum of Art earlier this year. This is a spectacular exhibit that is easy on the eyes, and engaging for art lovers at all levels. Don’t miss it! 

Opening Event Saturday October 3, 2009 7-9 pm. Runs through January 31, 2010.

www.pmcaonline.org