Description
‘Reign’ by Kristen Margiotta
Artist: Kristen Margiotta
Title: ‘Reign’
Medium: Oil on hardboard
Dimensions: 14″ x 11″
Framing: Framed – frame has ornate antique gold wash with beads and red detail (frame size: 18.5″ x 15.5″)
Year of Creation: 2022
About the Artwork:
“Medusa is depicted here as icon, almost reverent and saintly, basking in her beautiful red ruff, with coiled up snakes piled high and mighty on her head, almost like a crown, with her eyes gazing up towards the heavens, crying tears of luminous pearls. Medusa is a timeless character from Greek Mythology who made a resurgence during the Renaissance/Baroque era, two of my favorite times in art history. I have painted myself as Medusa before, also with red snakes. She is often depicted throughout history, straight on, gazing intensely at the viewer. I wanted to show Medusa not as victim in this painting, nor as a weapon of war, but as a powerful figure who is pervasive throughout history. My recent works utilize a motif of pearl tears, dripping from the eyes or from a gaping wound. I often say nature is our greatest teacher, and I love the metaphor pearls bring to light. Pearls are born from pathogens, one of a kind gemstone, so this concept that transformation and/or beauty can come from hardship, trauma, or difficult moments in our life is ever present. Though Medusa’s story is tragic, her figure will forever be used visually.
If the viewer is new to my work, red is a color that is also pervasive throughout my paintings, even more so in recent years. Red is powerful, representing the life force that flows through all of us.” – Kristen Margiotta
About the Artist:
(Artist Bio)
Kristen Margiotta is based in the United States, in the first state of Delaware. She is a contemporary oil painter whose passion for art is pervasive throughout her lifestyle. For almost two decades, she has been exhibiting and selling her work, illustrating books, and actively participating in her local art community.
Margiotta has exhibited in galleries and museums nationally and was represented in Santa Fe, NM for a decade. Her oil paintings are found in private collections across the country, ranging from collectors of animation and cartoon art, to dark art, pop surrealism, and realism.
Margiotta has transitioned from her “big eyed” gallery paintings and illustration work and returned to her roots of a more realistic and narrative oil painting style. She’s also returned to portrait painting, working directly from live models using the direct method of “alla prima” oil painting. Strength, raw human emotion, and the color red pervade her work. Her recent gallery exhibitions include those at Modern Eden Gallery, San Francisco, and the Convent, Philadelphia, PA.
Margiotta continues to paint and teach art privately in her home studio in Newark, DE.
(Artist Statement)
I am at a pivotal moment in my career, a new beginning, a new cycle of art that is a reflection of my growth first as a person, and as an artist. My recent body of work centers around the human figure and nature to uncover and reveal personal truth. This work is a departure from my “big eyed” fine artwork and illustrations that spanned my 17+ year career, which focussed on sweet, but often scared characters, afraid of the unknown and of the ominous environments they were exploring.
My recent work is about transformation of oneself, a complete departure from my previous body of work. How we can move beyond limitations and hardships and transform them into something beautiful that unlocks our inner fire. My work is raw and emotive, and though it may appear “dark” to some, it is alive and reflects what I think we are meant to be as human beings: powerful, determined, and with the ability to overcome. By discovering who we really are, we can transform ourselves, and move forward in a positive way in this lifetime. My goal is for my artwork to reach people, to touch them or connect with them, to bring joy, and help them heal.