Beauties Behaving Badly

BEAUTIES BEHAVING BADLY
KATE RENEE’S SOLO EXHIBIT AT GAMUT GALLERY

MINNEAPOLIS – Sat., Jan. 18, 2014 7:00-11:00 p.m. – Opening for “Beauties Behaving Badly” – the exhibit runs through Feb. 22.  Painter Kate Renee was awarded a Minnesota State Arts Board- Artist Initiative Grant in Jan. 2013; this exhibit is the culmination of the work it made possible.  Renee began with the concept of Disney princesses with an edgy twist, replacing their happy endings with real-world problems or circumstances.  Both theme and quality of work evolved rapidly over 2013, while fulfilling the grant and a Women’s Art Resource of Minnesota mentorship under Jill Waterhouse.  The resulting series reexamines archetypical fairytales, relaying each passed-down parable in a new way for a new generation.  Each beauty finds herself in a different predicament, often of her own choosing.  In each case, she is revealing her naughty side.

Through research, Renee found her not-so-happy-endings more akin to the historical telling of these familiar fairytales. Funding and feedback spurred development of this concept, also allowing tangible upgrades to Renee’s materials.  She previously used mainly acrylic on canvas or foam-core for her graphic, cartoon-like character studies.  In this new series she has developed a technique of applying the acrylics to birch and setting resin over the finished piece.  The natural wood grains add a subtle dimension of organic texture to her bold designs, while inspiring experimentation with the use of this rich, new background as negative space.  Renee paints a story in bold iconic imagery, complete with a main character in conflict and even some adorable sidekicks – all with the signature Kate Renee eyes.

Kate Renee has exhibited nationally and internationally, receiving press and numerous awards locally.  Most recently she earned a Minnesota State Arts Board- Artist Initiative Grant and was accepted as a protégé by the Women’s Art Resource of Minnesota. Renee earned a BA in Fine Arts, Art History, and a minor in design from the U of M in 2010.  Renee has interned at various galleries, culminating in an assistant gallery director internship and at Altered Esthetics, where she was subsequently hired as director of solo exhibitions.  She will debut her Beauties Behaving Badly series, spring 2014 at Gamut Gallery and is currently working on a series called “Naughty Neighborhood.”