SELF CARE; A group exhibition showcasing recent self-portraits and intimate views of the artist’s studio or workspace.
The Grenning Gallery is pleased to present our first exhibition of 2025: SELF CARE; A group exhibition showcasing recent self-portraits and intimate views of the artist’s studio or workspace.
This exhibit will hang from Saturday, January 18th, through Sunday, February 23rd. Please join us for an Opening Reception on Saturday, January 18th, 5-6:30 PM.
Furthermore, please join us again on Sunday morning 11 am-1 pm at the studio of Maryann Lucas and Edwina Lucas; both of whom are exhibiting studio interiors/exterior paintings for Self-Care. This mother/daughter duo wants to extend an invitation to the public, to enter and tour their creative space. Call or Email the gallery for the studio address.
Laura Grenning always says, “We sell painters, not paintings”; the sentiment being that a painting is just one single moment in an artist’s oeuvre. Each sale is an investment towards the artist’s ability to paint again.
Self-care is the conscious practice of taking care of yourself to promote health and well-being. A self-portrait can be an instrument to get to know oneself, a way of exposing one’s inner self, via their own likeness. A self-portrait is a map of your intimate world, a statement of intentions, a testimony about who you are and how you show yourself. To look within is not always pleasant; some might avoid it at all costs; yet this examination of one’s self is paramount to the phenomenon of Self-Care.
Grenning Gallery Manager, Megan Toy, has spoken with numerous artists about creating self-portraits – and the overall response has been apathetic. Some say, “It’s what you paint when you don’t know what else to paint”; others say, “I don’t want to look at myself”. It makes perfect sense because it takes a great deal of discipline to create a successful painting. The choice to have yourself as the subject can prove difficult, as it not only demands a specific sense of self-scrutiny and observation, but a sense of accuracy and, maybe above all, accountability. How critical is one to oneself? Are details exact or omitted? Glorified or exaggerated? How does the medium affect the overall image?
The answer to these questions varies, between diverse stylistic qualities throughout more than a dozen artists.
