“Trepidations” by Melanie Vote

I'm finally back in Portland, Oregon and have spent my day going through emails, checking in on my (small) investments to see how much I've lost and cleaning a terribly dirty bathroom. That was not super fun but my dear friend in New York City sent me an email to announce her first solo show at DFN Gallery and it was loaded with goodness. I was blown away by her incredible work! Oh how I wish I had more in my investments! I'd pull some out and buy one of these and love it forever!

These oil paintings are "intimate in scale and painted in great detail with an eye for nuance, Vote culls images from fashion and news magazines combining female figures in somewhat benign settings with odd props and unusual outfits.

Anxiety seeps out of Vote’s work where gas mask clad women, cupcake bearing bombshells, and devious book smart little girls cavort across interiors and landscapes. As Vote explains, “my work is an attempt to use straightforward representational painting in order to explore subtle sources of tension.” Read more here.

If you are in NYC, stop by for the show opening at DFN Gallery Thursday, October 2nd. The reception will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m.