Portland-based artist Rebecca Artemisa's sets her scenes in imaginative, fantastic lands that exude exquisite details. Artemisa's young women are among many flowers, trees, and other creatures, including monsters that are composed out of birds and stars. Although not of this world, these beings are nonthreatening and benevolent, and they even offer someone a ride on their back!
The circle of life is explored as spirits live alongside humans. A common motif in Aretmisa's paintings are figures that hover above the living, and it appears that heaven isn't that far away. Other small moments remind us that life and death are intimately connected, like the tiny ghouls that that rise from cups of tea. The ladies welcome the supernatural and often surround themselves with candles. The circular set up is a seance to summon spirits, and is another rich detail of Aretmisa's beautifully strange work.
