~calamity strange~

Press Release: Art Gallery Show and Artist Reception

Heretics & Heathens

The Kingdom of God Through the Eyes of an Unbeliever

New Work by Kelley Richardson

at  Chimera Arts   1010 Fair Ave. suite D   Santa Cruz, California 

•  April 1, – May 28, 2o11
• Opening Reception Friday, April 1st  5-9 p.m.
• Live Music and Refreshments
• Gallery Hours:  Monday – Saturday  12-8 pm

Kelley Richardson, photographer and mixed-media artist, will be showing an entirely new body of work in her upcoming show, “Heretics & Heathens. The Kingdom of God Through The Eyes of an Unbeliever,” opening April 1st at Chimera Arts.  In previous installations, she has used paint to create intensely memorable colorful skeleton paintings that have hinted at angel wings, halos, and the spirituality wrapped in the frailties of being human. This time around, Richardson dances from one medium to the next, using large-scale photographs and a series of found-object assemblage pieces to weigh the nuances between spiritual faith and natural decay.  Photographs of sparse desert grave sites and abandoned shrines share the space alongside boxed found art pieces that evoke plundered toy chests, glimpses of seduction and broken promises.

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Known for creating edgy and twisted imagery in film and paint - in addition to a decade long career of teaching art to kids and photographing the Santa Cruz Tattoo Project, the Original Santa Cruz Rollergirls, and every other person covered in ink or associated with hot rods or choppers in the county - Kelley has a large and eclectic following. The combination of her diverse audience with the jaw dropping work on the wall promises to turn this show into one of the standout events in Santa Cruz this spring.