Nostalgic Lens: Painting by Edith Dora Rey
Coming Out, oil and acrylic on panel
Featured artist Edith Dora Rey works in a range of painted media. Edith’s paintings tend to have a single-subject focus, often seen through a slightly nostalgic lens, with the artist working in subdued colors reflect the look of photographs.
Deergoatchicken, acrylic and oil on wood panel, incised
Edith’s soft, blended style works differently with different subjects, producing a range of images from bright, playful imaginings to somber portraits. The artist often utilizes a loose but realistic style in combination with a monochromatic background, combining aesthetics from multiple paintings disciplines.
I love the way Edith swaps soft neutral colors for loud primary colors in her Don’t Eat Your Friends series, which focuses in on the livestock industry. There’s a clear thread of love for animals throughout Edith’s portfolio – it reminds me of the work of Lesli Devito, particularly in Edith’s gallery of Dogs + Cats portraits. In her works that feature human figures, Edith’s paintings take on an interesting vintage aesthetic, as if she’s using old family photographs as reference.
