Skidmore Contemporary Art hosts presents two new exhibitions…”Maxine Smith, 2018 Exhibition, Paintings,” and “Isabel Emrich, Expression, Paintings.”

New York City native Maxine Smith spent her early years taking the subway. She was fascinated with people and found herself studying their faces…taking in their differences and similarities. Her portraits feature a whimsical oddity that draws you to these characters.

Prior to her art career, Smith started out as an interior designer and became quite successful. But art kept calling her…she eventually jumped in and has never looked back.

This will be Smith’s second show at Skidmore Contemporary Art. Her work has been exhibited in various galleries in New York City, East Hampton, and Los Angeles. Her paintings are also in several private collections.

Smith said “I hope that the viewer feels some emotion when they look at the portraits I’ve created…a smile, a question, a thought…something that makes them linger.”

The art of Vincent van Gogh was an inspiration for artist Isabel Emrich. Growing up in Southern California, the ocean made an impression on her as well. She explained that she had fond memories of her grandmother taking her to paint on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The artist later moved to San Francisco, to study at The Academy of Art University, where she received a BFA in Painting and Drawing in 2016.

As writer Mirabelle Alan stated, “Emrich works in an Expressionistic style that straddles both abstraction and figuration. Her brushwork is both strong and fluid—qualities that echo the nature of water, itself. With zeal, Emrich captures the ‘special effects’ water presents to the eye: chaotic refractions in multi-planar space, sparkling light effects, distorted shadows, rippled reflections, etc.—much of it in thick impasto paint, contrasted by passages of smooth vitality.”

Where: Skidmore Contemporary Art, Bergamot, 2525 Michigan Avenue, B-4, Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: 310-828-5070
Website: http://www.skidmorecontemporaryart.com