Anne Siems

From my review of Ann Siems’s exhibit “Butterfly Flight and Other Stories” at Walker Contemporary in Boston:

Anne Siems's paintings are time machines teleporting you back to the early days of our American republic. In her show at Walker Contemporary, the German-born, Seattle-based artist channels the endearing awkwardness of artists like John Brewster Jr., who roamed New England at the start of the 19th century painting portraits. She mixes in early American stenciled wall decorations and designs that young girls embroidered into samplers. She sets it all atop dreamy soft-focus landscapes rendered with a golden brown patina that makes the paintings look antique. The combination transforms these influences from just a pastiche into something that feels fresh and sweeps you up like ravishing moments from a Brontë sisters novel.

Read the rest here.

Ann Siems, “Butterfly Flight and Other Stories,” Walker Contemporary, 450 Harrison Ave., Boston, July 1 to 31, 2009.

Pictured from top to bottom: Annne Siems, “Conversation,” “Faces” and “Butterfly Flight.”