Vive El Arte at She/They Gallery

October 29, 2024 Kristina Baker

I’m excited to announce that my painting Open Letter/Dimension of Justice (2020) will be displayed at She/They Gallery in Santa Ana, CA for their “Vive El Arte” exhibition.

Open Letter/Dimension of Justice is inspired by Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Slaying Holofernes (c. 1620), one of the most dramatic paintings of the Baroque period. Gentileschi’s painting depicts the biblical story of Judith, who saves her people by beheading the Assyrian general Holofernes. What stands out in Gentileschi’s version is the unflinching physicality and realism—Judith and her maid Abra are shown mid-act, with Judith gripping Holofernes’s hair as blood sprays from his neck. Gentileschi’s portrayal is often seen as reflecting her own life experiences, including her survival of sexual assault and the public trial where she testified against her attacker. My painting draws on these themes of justice, strength, and personal liberation, offering a contemporary take on the complexity of power and what it means to confront injustice today.

The exhibition opens with the Santa Ana Art Walk on November 2nd, from 6:00-9:00pm. Please stop by if you are in Orange County!

Open Letter/Dimension of Justice, 2020, Oil on Arches oil paper, 30 x 22 in.

More Disruption: Representational Art in Flux Recap

October 6, 2024 Kristina Baker

I am extremely grateful to have been included in More Disruption: Representational Art in Flux at the Oceanside Museum of Art. The show wrapped up several weeks ago, and I wanted to share some exhibition and reception photos. Very special thanks to John Seed, Aleah Chapin, and Timothy Robert Smith for jurying the exhibition and including my work.

All Flourishing Is Mutual Recap

October 6, 2024 Kristina Baker

My artist talk and herbal mandala painting workshop in support of my exhibition All Flourishing Is Mutual at DaVero Farms and Winery were great successes. I only wish I had a recording of the artist talk! I touched upon why women in agriculture are such an inspiration to me, briefly shared my experience working on farms and how that translated into my paintings, and shared anecdotes about the specific women featured in my paintings. I broke down the painterly processes and innovative techniques utilized in my figurative paintings, disclosed some of the thoughts that go into constructing a composition, and discussed the translation of tactile sensation into paint.

For my herbal mandala painting workshop, I partnered with Michael Presley, the soil-keeper at DaVero, to tour the biodynamic garden. Participants encountered and picked flowers, shrubs, vines, and herbs that resonated with them, which we then brought back into the studio. I led participants through the process of creating a mandala, and gave some tips about flowing with watercolor and capturing the essence of the plants. I am super pleased with some truly beautiful student results!

My exhibition statement for All Flourishing is Mutual is shared below:

Kristina Rose Baker is an artist based in Orange County, California. Her passion for sustainable and regenerative living inspired a series of artworks that celebrates female farmers. This series, born from her desire to spotlight the vital role of women in agriculture and the importance of understanding our food sources, features portraits and paintings of women sowing, tending, watering, harvesting, and gathering.

Baker's figurative paintings capture moments of action, concentration, and devotion. Each piece was conceptualized from her extensive reference material, which includes sketches and photographs from her time working on and visiting farms. Her initial sketches are lively gestures, often partially visible in the final canvas, infusing the artwork with energy and dynamism. Baker allows herself significant creative freedom within the realm of representation, embracing painterly moments and incorporating abstraction. Her work continually explores the expansive capabilities of oil paint, experimenting with new mark-making and application techniques to expand her artistic vocabulary.

In this series, Baker also focused on the texture and movement of flesh, utilizing the impasto quality of oil paint to convey the toughness, vitality, wear, and flexibility of skin. Through her paint application and texture, she seeks to evoke the spirit and character of her subjects.

Baker's research for this series involved visiting and working on various farms, primarily in Southern California, though she also worked from reference images for those located farther away. During her visits, she created sketches and took photographs to serve as the basis for her paintings. The women she paints are those who inspire her and who play an urgent and crucial role in society. Her paintings not only highlight their contributions but also underscore the broader significance of sustainable agriculture and the women at its forefront.

I am extremely grateful to Farm Studio Sonoma for inviting me to participate in the exhibition and collaborative events!

All Flourishing Is Mutual

June 27, 2024 Kristina Baker

My exhibition All Flourishing Is Mutual debuts in two weeks at DeVero Farms & Winery in Sonoma, CA. The exhibition is in collaboration with The Farm Studio- a nonprofit based in Sonoma county that nurtures collaboration with local ecologies through farming and art.

The exhibition reception is on Sunday, July 7th between 1:30 - 4pm. I’ll be exhibiting 4 large paintings and a variety of smaller paintings and prints from my Women in Agriculture and Herbal Mandala series. I hope to see you at the reception if you are in the Sonoma area!

Additionally, I’ll be giving an artist talk on Tuesday, July 9th between 5:30 - 7:00pm, and hosting an Herbal Mandala workshop on Wednesday, July 10th from 5:30 - 7:00pm. All events are ticketed, and tickets can be purchased online at the DaVero website. The exhibition runs through the end of August, 2024.

More Disruption: Representational Art in Flux at the Oceanside Museum of Art

May 7, 2024 Kristina Baker

I’m ecstatic to announce my participation in “More Disruption: Representational Art in Flux”, juried by John Seed, Aleah Chapin, and Timothy Robert Smith at the Oceanside Museum of Art. The exhibition explores representational art that has been reshaped and “disrupted”—including by abstraction, web-based imagery, and socio-politcal concerns—in response to contemporary life and its challenges.

The opening reception is on Saturday, June 8th between 5-7pm. The exhibition runs until September 15th.

Read more about the exhibition on the Oceanside Museum of Art website.

The Diver, 2024, charcoal, conté, and white chalk on joined paper, 41 1/4 x 33 1/2 in.

ALIS Design+ Conference and Trade Fair, January 24 - 25 2024

January 24, 2024 Kristina Baker

I'm excited to announce that I have four paintings from my Absence and Presence series at the ALIS Design+ Conference and Trade Fair, January 24 - 25 in Los Angeles. I am exhibiting my work with DAC Art Consulting alongside works by Christina Kwan. I’m excited to share some photos of the installation below.

ALIS Design+ is a conference and trade fair where distinguished thought leaders from hotel ownership, investment, development, design, procurement, construction, architecture, and consultancy come together for a discussion on the industry’s future. Together, they engage in forward-looking conversations, diving into best practices and pioneering solutions that elevate creativity and ingenuity.

(Clockwise, beginning top left) Altadena Crest Trail, 2023; Sam Merrill Trail, 2023; Desert Trail, 2019; Diarmuid’s Farm, 2019

Transforming Loss at She/They Gallery

January 24, 2024 Kristina Baker

Grateful to have had two paintings included in the group show Transforming Loss curated by Kate Ryan & Gabrielle b. mcLean. The opening reception was Saturday, November 4th 2023 at She/They Gallery in Santa Ana.
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𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵-𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧, 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘴𝘺𝘮𝘣𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘶𝘴𝘦. 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘴. 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥, 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘴, 𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴. 𝘈𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.

The Sun Releases Saturn From Its Orbit (Takotsubo), 2023 (left) and Better Underwater?, 2019 (right)

Post-Reception- Thank you!

September 16, 2022 Kristina Baker

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to the opening reception of my solo show “Simulated Memory” at She/They Gallery! It was an awesome opening, and we had a really great turn out- it was so much fun to have the opening on the same night as the Santa Ana Art Walk. I’m very appreciative for all the friends and new faces that turned up at the gallery to see my work. Much thanks to the friends who came out for my private walk-through. The show is up by appointment until September 27th. Please contact Renée Ortiz of She/They Gallery to make an appointment.

She/They Gallery of Contemporary Womyn’s Art

@she.they.gallery_

ReneeOrtizStudios@gmail.com

Simulated Memory at She/They Gallery for Contemporary Womyn's Art

August 26, 2022 Kristina Baker

I’m excited to announce the opening of my solo exhibition “Simulated Memory” with She/They Gallery of Contemporary Womyn’s Art in Santa Ana, CA. I will be exhibiting new 21 oil and watercolor paintings from the past year.

The opening reception is on September 3rd, 2022 from 5pm - 9pm, and the gallery is located on the second floor of the Santora Arts Building, within the Artist Village. If you are in the Orange County/SoCal area, I would love to see you there! The show will run from September 1 - 26, 2022.

"Precipice" at Santa Ana College

October 1, 2020 Kristina Baker

My body of work “Precipice” has been featured by the Santa Ana Collage Art Department for the month of October. Take a look at my latest body of work and statement on their website!

https://www.santaanacollegeartdepartment.org/kristinarosebaker

No Big Heads

October 6, 2019 Kristina Baker

Excited to announce my painting “Sinking In” was selected to be a part of “No Big Heads”, a Group Exhibition at Hugh McPeck Gallery. The exhibition is up until October 24th.

New Work for Indian Wells

February 21, 2019 Kristina Baker

I’ve been busy preparing for the Indian Wells Arts Festival, creating lots of new work to display for next month. I love participating in art fairs because it inspires me to paint and make new things since I know I have a venue to display my paintings in, and there is an upcoming deadline. The pressure is on! It makes me feel a bit like I’m back in art school painting like crazy in preparation for a critique, and I thrive in that kind of environment. I’ll slowly be posting new paintings online and on Instagram as the festival approaches. Excited that I’ve started to make some new desert inspired landscapes! Very new for me, and a departure from my infatuation with the color green.

A statement about the recent works:

My current practice is a paradox between absence and presence.

Using watercolor or oil paint on paper, I distill a landscape down to its most essential elements and abstracted forms. The negative shapes take on a prominent role in the paintings, often creating silhouettes of human figures enmeshed in the surrounding landscape. Painterly gestures and mark-making techniques are juxtaposed with highly-rendered flora.

The process is exclusively additive, as each mark on the stark white surface cannot be erased or undone. The paintings allude to an influence of Chinese landscape painting, especially in their rhythms and intentional use of blank space, or “nothingness”. They convey “inner landscapes of the mind” more so than accurate, external ones- they are reflections of sanctuary and inner spirit. The paintings seek to highlight a sense of permanence within nature and the spiritual world, contrasted with the temporal quality of human existence.

Indian Wells Arts Festival for Social Media.jpg

Holiday Pop Up

December 22, 2018 Kristina Baker

Tomorrow at Daydream Surf Shop! 1588 Monrovia Ave, Newport Beach, CA. Ill be out from 9am - 3pm selling original drawings, watercolors, and prints. Come swing by to support me and other local creatives, and get your last minute holiday gifts!

The Other Art Fair

October 30, 2018 Kristina Baker

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to support and see my paintings this past weekend at The Other Art Fair! What a whirlwind! I am so grateful for all the connections, new faces, and lovely artists I got the chance to meet while at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

Thursday was such a crazy rush- with my car and a van packed with all my paintings, display supplies, and tools, I drove from Orange County up to Santa Monica. I arrived at 10am to prepare and set up for the VIP opening reception that evening. However, I arrived to find that the painting crew had not finished painting my walls! I waited an additional two hours to begin hanging as the painters finished up the walls and we gave them ample time to dry. It took about 5 hours to hang and prepare everything for the opening.

The Private View opening reception was sold out and packed with curators, gallery representatives, collectors, and art lovers of all kinds. I got an overwhelming response to my paintings and made some great connections. My work “Reef” was also a part of Kate Bryan’s “31 Women” exhibition- read my previous post for more information- this mini exhibition within the fair was a big hit. I also found out that I was the youngest person exhibiting at the Fair this Fall. I couldn’t believe it!

Friday was just as busy as Thursday night, and I thoroughly enjoyed talking to so many people in depth about my work. Most people were very intrigued and amazed at the amount of texture, alternative materials, and three-dimensional elements within my paintings. Friday evening was Friends and Family evening, and I was thrilled to see so many people I love come out to support me, see my paintings, and enjoy a fun evening socializing and looking at art.

The rest of the weekend was more mellow, and I could relax by my work and enjoy chatting with many interesting visitors, art lovers, art students, families, and more. I was also thrilled about getting to connect with some of the other artists in the fair! I know I will be keeping in touch with many and am excited about new artistic friendships.

I am grateful for the works that found new homes and for such an overwhelmingly positive, loving, emotional, and moving response to my paintings. I am newly inspired to paint and can’t wait to start my new body of work. I am so thankful the fair has given me newfound energy, enthusiasm, and inspiration to bring back into my studio.