Vive El Arte at She/They Gallery

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!

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

More Disruption: Representational Art in Flux Recap

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

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!

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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!

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

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

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)

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

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.

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31 Women

I am excited to announce that I have been selected as one of the 31 artists presenting work for Kate Bryan’s ‘31 Women’ exhibition onsite at The Other Art Fair next week!

Drawing inspiration from Peggy Guggenheim's landmark 1943 show 'Exhibition by 31 Women' and marking our 31st global edition, The Other Art Fair is dedicating a section of the Fall LA fair to rising female art stars.

Curated by Kate Bryan, Arts Broadcaster and Head of Collections for Soho House and Co. globally, 31 Women marks the 31st edition of The Other Art Fair and the 75th year anniversary of the iconic exhibition of the same name at Peggy Guggenheim’s gallery, Art of This Century.

31 women takes the form of a small exhibition within the main context of the fair, highlighting one work each by 31 female artists who are all participating in The Other Art Fair LA. This mini salon draws together sculpture, collage, neon, photography, figurative and abstract painting in the same inclusive spirit of Guggenheim’s original show.

The original 31 women took place in January 1943 at Guggenheim’s New York gallery. It was the first exhibition of its kind to highlight women artists who were largely absent from mainstream gallery and museum shows. Over 7 decades later permanent collections in museums across Europe and North America have on average only 3-5% artwork by female artists. At best you can hope to see women’s artwork around 30% of the time in a progressive gallery or institution, in most it is often far less. This exhibition is therefore part homage to Guggenheim, one of the greatest art patrons of the twentieth century, but it is also part protest against the continued male dominance of the art world today.