Painter Kim Randleas started painting as a self-taught portrait painter, but soon began exploring other genres. “I’ve come full circle to painting portraits again, this time with unrivaled enthusiasm,” she says. “Painting the people of the West allows me to combine two of my other passions—collecting antique clothing and the history of the American West—with art-making.”
For her newest work, First Glimpse of the Tusayan, Randleas used an antique bodice that is a “wonderful piece from the late-19th century, handstitched with heavy wool fabric, interior boning, and lovely red velvet-covered buttons and piping.”
First Glimpse of the Tusayan, oil on board, 14 x 11”
“Also, I’m enamored with the Western Frontier, the events, people and the often heartbreaking consequences of this time period,” she says. “During this time, dreams were made and lives were being destroyed. The United States was being formed while cultures were systematically eliminated. My own ancestors were traveling West while my friends and loved ones’ ancestors were victims of ‘the benevolent policy of the government in relation to the removal of the Indians,’ as Andrew Jackson put it. What was it like for these people? How did people of different cultures relate to one another? What hardships did they experience? What brought them joy? Step into a painting and find out!”
Randleas will be showing this work, and others, at Coeur d’Alene Galleries’ Miniatures by the Lake show in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. The show opens September 23. —
Want to See More?
www.kimrandleas.com
(541) 792-0250
Represented by Dick Idol Gallery
Whitefish, MT | www.dickidolgallery.com
Facebook: /kimrandleasartist
Instagram: @kimrandleasfineart
Powered by Froala Editor
