Quick Facts
Biography
Kelly Reemtsen is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Los Angeles. She was born in Flint, MI in 1967, and studied fashion design and painting at Central Michigan University and California State University Long Beach.
Work
Kelly Reemtsen is best known for her bright and boldpaintings of women carrying household tools such as chainsaws or axes. Her work often investigates the role of the modern woman, deconstructing societal perceptions of gender, power and femininity. Reemtsen's paintings are characterized by their thick impasto, stark white backgrounds and anonymous figures. Her most recent body of work explores the idea of breaking the metaphorical glass ceiling, often featuring female figures climbing on objects like chairs or ladders.
Reemtsen has depicted similar subject matter in series of prints, including woodcuts, etchings and screenprints. She has studied printmaking since the 1990s, most recently as an artist in residence at the Venice Printmaking studio in Venice, Italy. In the past, she also studied etchings with Peter Petengill at Wingate Studio in New Hampshire, and screen printing with Tony Clough at Serio Press in Los Angeles. In September 2016, Reemtsen was awarded a residency at the "Visiting Artist Printmaking Program" at the University of Central Florida's Flying Horse Editions studio. In 2019, her print was selected by the Royal Academy of London as lead image for the 2019 London Original Print Fair. She was also the featured Artist in Conversation at the LOPF 2019's Talks Programme.
She has also worked in sculpture, creating a series of resin pills, which she views as an accessory much like the jewelry or tools that populate her paintings, as well as a 2015 series of monumental cast stainless steel lipsticks, entitled Fuck the System.
Kelly Reemtsen’s work has been exhibited widely in the United States, and is part of the Twentieth Century Fox and AT&T corporate collections. Her work is represented and shown at various galleries in the Unites States and abroad, notably David Klein Gallery in Detroit, Michigan and Lyndsey Ingram Gallery in London.
Education
In the late 1980s, Reemtsen began her studies at Central Michigan University where she attended the Fine Art Program with a focus in Fashion Design.Ultimately, her ambitions took her to the West coast, where she continued pursuing her degree at California State University Long Beach. While at Cal State Long Beach, Reemtsen extended her focus to include painting.
In the early 1990s, Reemtsen began a three year private study with painter, Michael Tracy. In 2001, Reemtsen's private study shifted to print-making, when she began working at Hee Sook Kim Studio in New York. Then, in 2005, she studied silkscreen studio and technique at Modern Multiples in Los Angeles.
In 2008, she was invited to attend Crown Point Press Etching Workshop in San Francisco, whereat she studied plate making and printing with master printers.
Awards
2017 Print Project Advanced Graphics London England
2016 Visiting Artist Award Flying Horse Editions, Orlando FL
2016 Print Project Serio Press Los Angeles, CA
2015 Etching Project Wingate Studio, Hinsdale, NH
2015 Print Project Serio Press, Los Angeles, CA
2014 Outstanding Book of the Year Award, Gold Medal Independent Spirit Category “I’m Falling” by Kelly Reemtsen
Publishing
Kelly Reemtsen published her first monograph, “I'm Falling,“ in 2013. The book won the Independent Spirit Award at the 2014 Outstanding Book of the Year Awards, hosted by Independent Publisher.
In 2015, she was one of fifteen artists selected for inclusion in the book "Cool Paintings" by Carolina Amell.
Solo Exhibitions
2019
“Pattern” David Klein Gallery Detroit, MI
The London Original Print Fair, Lead Image and featured speaker, Royal Academy London, UK
2018
“Fix It” Lyndsey Ingram, London UK
“Value” Albertz Benda. New York NY
“Object” Galleri Oxholm, Copenhagen DK
2016
Over It, David Klein Gallery Detroit, MI
2015
Smashing, De Buck Gallery, New York, NY
2014
New Works Lieven De Buck Gallery, St Paul de Vance, France
Equal Opportunity, David Klein Gallery, Birmingham MI
2013
America’s Sweetheart, De Buck Gallery, New York, NY
2012
Paper and Chalk, Skidmore Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA
It’s All Up To You, Adler&Co, San Francisco, CA
2011
Clean, Skidmore Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA
New Paintings, David Klein Gallery, Birmingham, MI
Circa, Skidmore Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA
2010
It’s My Party, Adler&Co, San Francisco, CA
I’m Not Falling For You, Skidmore Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA
2009
Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder, San Francisco, CA
Striving for Perfection, David Klein Gallery, Birmingham MI
Recent Paintings, Campton Gallery, New York, NY
2007
Recent Paintings, Caldwell Snyder, San Francisco, CA
2006
Process & Palette, Solo Show, de Soto, Los Angeles, CA
Object Lessons, Two Person Show, University Art Gallery, CSUDH, Carson, CA
2005
Good Living, de Soto, Los Angeles, CA
All Through the House, Metro Gallery Pasadena, CA
Time Line, ONE Gallery, Palms Springs, CA
2003
Lifestyle, Gallery 825, Bergamot Station, Santa Monica, CA
Three Decades of Design, Risk Art Press, West Hollywood, CA
2002
Dress, Metro Gallery, Pasadena, CA