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Kelly Birkenruth"The Light Always Shines Through" by Kelly Birkenruth, Figurative Oil Painting2024
2024
About the Item
"The Light Always Shines Through" by Kelly Birkenruth, (2024), is a masterfully executed oil painting on panel, measuring 20 x 16 inches (framed dimensions: 24 x 20 inches). This contemporary figurative work captures a quiet, introspective moment, rendered with meticulous attention to detail and a nuanced interplay of light and shadow. A blonde model is holding a bouquet of colorful, fresh flowers.
Birkenruth’s captivating paintings are in the style of contemporary realism while staying firmly grounded in the tradition of the Old Masters. She is able to pull the viewer into her paintings by interweaving emotion with a humanistic quality through her supreme handling of light. Through her portraits and still lifes she is able to evoke sensitivity and empathy, which in turn allows her to create images which transcend mere representation to capture the true essence of her subject. Kelly’s arresting compositions, draftsmanship, use of color and observation of detail allow her to create paintings with a timeless quality.
After earning her degree from Pennsylvania State University, Kelly moved to southern California where she began a career as a fashion model. Her agency soon sent her abroad to Paris and Tokyo, where she spent the next several years modeling. When she wasn’t walking the runway, she spent endless hours in the great museums of the world, closely observing and studying the works of the Old Masters. “My time abroad, particularly in Paris, opened my eyes to the vast beauty and power of a great painting. After that I knew I wanted to dedicate my life to the pursuit of Fine Art” said Birkenruth. After returning to the States, Kelly studied at Otis College of Art in Los Angeles, CA. She then continued her studies through workshops and private study with renowned artists such as Daniel Sprick, Steven Assael and Jesus Emmanuel Villarreal.
In the spring of 2019 Kelly will be exhibiting 2 paintings at the MEAM Museum in Barcelona, Spain for their Painting Today, International Women Painters Exhibition. Her painting Guarding Her Heart was exhibited at the 2018 Annual National Juried Exhibition at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art in Wausau, WI. Her painting Homage to New York was exhibited at the American Women Artists 2018 show Perspectives of the American Experience at the Rockwell Museum in Corning, N.Y. Her painting Venus contemplating her adolescence was exhibited at the Poets and Artists show “Visions of Venus/Venus’s Vision in April, 2018 at the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago, IL. Kelly’s painting The City Awaits received the Award of Excellence at the American Women Artists 2017 Exhibition at the Tucson Desert Art Museum. She was also awarded 2 nd place at the Portrait Society of America’s 2015 Juried Exhibition in the Still Life Category and Honorable Mention at the Portrait Society of America’s 2012 Juried Exhibition. She won Best of Show Award in the CT+6 2012 Juried Exhibition at the West Hartford Art League. She was a Finalist in the Art Renewal Center’s International Salon in 2011, 2016 and 2018. Her painting Limes and Laughs has been selected as a finalist in the Still Life/Interior category of The Artist’s Magazine 33 rd Annual Art Competition. Artists Magazine named Kelly as Artist of the month for February 2017 and featured a profile of her for their online publication. Her work has also been featured in American Art Collector magazine.
- Creator:Kelly Birkenruth (1972, American)
- Creation Year:2024
- Dimensions:Height: 20 in (50.8 cm)Width: 16 in (40.64 cm)
- Medium:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Denver, CO
- Reference Number:Seller: 1stDibs: LU1308215979582
Kelly Birkenruth
Kelly Birkenruth (b. 1972) creates meticulously crafted contemporary realist paintings that honor Old Master techniques while speaking to present-day viewers. Her artistic approach developed after her Pennsylvania State University education and during her years as an international fashion model, when she immersed herself in studying classical paintings throughout European and Japanese museums. Birkenruth later formalized her artistic training at Otis College of Art and through specialized study with figurative masters. Her portfolio centers on still lifes and portraits distinguished by precise draftsmanship and luminous handling of light. Birkenruth's work has garnered recognition through museum exhibitions at the MEAM Museum in Barcelona, the Rockwell Museum, and the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, alongside awards from the Portrait Society of America and finalist selections in Art Renewal Center competitions. She is represented by select galleries across the United States including Abend Gallery.
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