Trish Klenow
Houston, TX
Artist's Statement:
My work is about the search for beauty through allegorical figures.
I challenge traditional images of beauty, finding it in urban areas with students I know from public schools as models. The artwork begins with observation of the natural world and the people within. I focus primarily on change; passage of time in a growing child, a season, or the changing light of morning. I paint exclusively with oils. I find the most satisfaction by working in a representational style, typically with portraits and figures.By using lucid, brighter-than-life hues, color becomes a language to convey the moods of my models. There is a narrative quality to the paintings that I do not attempt to hide but encourage as it provides a sense of mystery for the viewer. The juxtaposition of quiet people and loud colors demonstrates a peaceful contrast to the chaos of daily life.
Artist's Bio:
Trish Klenow is a representational artist who originally hales from a tiny town in Upper Michigan. She began her studies at Central Michigan University where she earned a Bachelors degree in Education with an Art major. After realizing that the small snowy towns didn’t get the creative juices flowin’ she headed west and south in 1995, following in Georgia O’Keefe’s shoes. After accepting a job over the phone she put everything she owned in a small Buick and drove to Harlingen, TX. The job wasn’t what was expected, but the exposure to the southern clime and intense colors along the Mexican Border caused an epiphany in her painting. Feeding this epiphany was a summer fellowship to study at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. This period of study and work pushed the painting in new directions. After returning to Texas, Klenow realized she needed a bigger city to grow in. Currently Trish can be found in her studio in Houston. In Houston her education continued at Rice University, University of Houston, and the Glassell School of Art. Klenow has received two first place awards in Texas juried shows. In 2004 she held her first solo show at North Gallery/Galeria del Norte in Houston. Her work can be seen at Harris Gallery in Houston TX and at Light Street Gallery in Baltimore Maryland, as well as many juried shows throughout the U.S. Klenow finds the most satisfaction by painting contemporary portraits of students who usually appear alone in urban and rural environments. There is a struggle her life between urban living and her rural upbringing that plays itself out in her paintings. In addition to painting, Klenow has been teaching for 12 years.
