Opening reception: November 3, 6 - 8 pm

Octavia Art Gallery is pleased to present Different Strokes, an exhibition of five Houston based female artists, who define elements of transformation and empowerment through their art. The exhibition features works by Meredith Knox Barineau, Anne Kinder, Marthann Masterson, Kathryn Rabinow and Marie Figge Wise.  Octavia Art Gallery opened its second gallery location in Houston in 2014, which has facilitated new relationships with Texas based artists and allows for a cultural exchange between galleries.

Meredith Knox Barineau’s colorful watercolor paintings explore emotional symbolism through patterns and forms found in nature.  Her abstract compositions employ deeply saturated jewel-toned hues, layers of glazes, wax, ink and pencil to create dynamic spaces that gradually unfold while remaining essentially linked to nature and the creative process. Barineau has received formal instruction in painting at the Glassell School of Arts, Museum of Fine Arts Houston. She has exhibited her work throughout Houston, at Edot Gallery, The Cloister Gallery and at The Glassell School of Art.

Anne Kinder creates contemplative watercolor paintings that are realistic renderings of personal images. Kinder is an avid traveler, and takes inspiration from a variety of subject matter from the exotic animals in Africa to the banal watering can at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. Equally compelling, Kinder’s thoughtful paintings of antique dolls and bears, a nostalgic homage to treasured collections shared between the artist and her daughter, exemplify the artist’s deft hand and use of color. Her work has been exhibited in solo exhibitions at the Center for the Arts in Crested Butte, and in Missouri and Houston
 

Marthann Masterson’s abstract paintings are expressions of the energizing force of joy. Masterson has developed an artistic practice where lines of colorful acrylic paint are poured from the top of each canvas one inch apart, combined with mixed media, leaving her signature drip marks at the bottom. In her most recent body of work, Masterson’s application of bold vibrant colors has become more deliberate, exploring a new range of colors without inhibition.  Masterson received formal instruction in painting at the Glassell School of Arts, Museum of Fine Arts Houston. The artist has exhibited her work throughout New York, Florida and Texas, where she had a solo exhibition with Octavia Art Gallery Houston in 2017. 

Kathryn Rabinow is a photographer whose work is often inspired by the thrill of the chase for the capture of an exceptional moment. In her photographs she reveals the uniqueness within the pattern of a shell, the beauty of the Louisiana landscape, and the intrigue in the shapes and colors of nature’s creations. She especially enjoys the creative opportunity presented when refining her photographic images, elevating subjects that are often overlooked into works of art. She has exhibited her work in solo exhibitions at the Jung Center, the Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center, and Aker Gallery in Houston. She has participated in numerous exhibitions in Texas, Florida, and Colorado, and her work is in the permanent collections of the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., Town Hall of Snowmass Colorado, the ERJCC in Houston, and in corporate and private collections throughout the US and Europe. Rabinow is represented by Ann Korologos Gallery in Colorado.

 Marie Figge Wise’s plein-air paintings were born out of a desire to combine her passion for travel and the outdoors with her love of art. Formerly a still-life painter, Wise found inspiration in the farmlands of her hometown in the Midwest and in the landscapes of Texas, Colorado and Montana. The artist paints with a diffused, tonal quality that truly captures what it feels to slow down and experience the natural world around you. Wise has studied studio art at The Art Student’s League of New York, NY and at Gonzaga University in Florence, Italy. Wise is represented by RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, TX, and Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt, CO where she has participated in solo and group exhibitions. Her work has also been exhibited at Jack Meier Gallery in Houston, and throughout Texas and Colorado.

Different Strokes brings together five Houston women, spanning two generations, from varying backgrounds and careers. Octavia is especially honored to present this group of diverse artists who are bound in their shared passion for art and the act of creating art.