Description
‘Ashes to Ashes’ by Kristen Margiotta
Artist: Kristen Margiotta
Title: ‘Ashes to Ashes’
Medium: Oil on panel
Dimensions: 12″ x 9″
Framing: Framed in a black ornate gothic frame, hand embellished by the artist – features the artist’s signature frame backing beautifully finished with black dust cover paper, custom wax seal, signature, and hardware (frame size: 19.25″ x 16.25″)
Year of Creation: 2023
About the Artwork:
“There’s a bit of influence and symbolism in this piece. I always say, I prefer my work to be open to interpretation. Viewing and experiencing art is a very personal thing, between the work and the viewer. It’s more important to me that the viewer connects to my work in a way that’s personal to them, and less important that they dissect my direct intention. Often, the act of creating art for me is a way to purge a deep rooted feeling or idea, often based from experience, which is arduous to express in any other way other than visually.
Fire, specifically refers to transformation, in my work. I’ve always loved the imagery of the sacred heart, which here represents the fire that burns within us all. That inner fire could refer to a specific area of life such as purpose, relationships, etc. . .Pearls are a running motif in my work, symbolizing hardship and the beauty that comes after adversity. Growth can’t happen without challenge, difficulty, and in many cases, death or loss.” – 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.