Thank you all who made it out to my Studio Show on Saturday, September 7th!. I felt so blessed to see so many collectors, friends, and family come to my studio to see Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. I am truly blessed 😊
Mardie Rees and avid art collector, Scott Jones
Party time!
Sister Anne and Rita Wilkins (my grandma)
Rees sharing about the process and the inspiration for the portrait (Sister Jude Connelly - joined Jesus on March 28th, 2024.)
Mardie Rees' piece, Saint Michael, Archangel, will be on exhibit and available for purchase at the California Art Club's Gold Annual Exhibition. The piece won the "Fine Art Connoisseur Award of Excellence for Sculpture." Don't miss an opportunity to see this piece in person because Saint Michael is a work you must see in person.
The recently expanded Hilbert Museum is located in the historic district of Old Towne Orange. It is the only museum in the world committed to tracing the history of the Golden State from the late 1800s to the present through works by leading California artists and Hollywood studio artists and animators.
As part of our opening celebration for this year's Gold Medal Exhibition this Saturday, noted art historian Jean Stern will present the lecture "Defining Excellence: Artwork by Historical Members of the California Art Club." The August 24 event will be at 2 p.m. and tickets sales will begin soon.
Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University
Exhibition Hours: Tuesday through Saturday – 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Admission: Admission is free
Parking: Located one block east of the museum at 130 N. Lemon Street, the Old Towne West parking structure offers free all-day parking.
Video - Mardie Rees sharing about the creation of Saint Michael
Saint Michael, 23" x 15" x 18", Bronze & Glass Wings . Edition available for purchase
Mardie Rees in her studio shortly after completing Saint Michael. "The glass wings turned out better that I could have possibly imagined," says Rees.
Mardie Rees' bronze sculpture, "A Few of My Favorite Things," was selected to be a part of this year's California Art Club Gold Medal Exhibition held at the Autry Museum of the American West. The exhibition is full of museum quality works created by leading artists in California and out of state artists operating in the top in their fields: painting, drawing, and sculpture.
Mardie is honored to be a part of this esteemed exhibition. "A Few of My Favorite Things" was inspired by watching her children play on a hot summer day. Reminded of the life lessons learned in playing with siblings and the give and take required, she examines the complex nature of these fundamental relationships. The faces of the young pair are caught somewhere between feelings. The purposeful ambiguity of their expressions beckons you make your own judgement on what is taking place. Is it about a girl tired of pulling her demanding brother around all day? Is it a sweet boy content to remain riding, or anxious to quit being treated like a doll? The possibilities keep your mind guessing while the dynamic composition keeps your eye in perpetual movement.
My kids, Jasmine and Adam, taking a closer look at the finished bronze sculpture.
Mardie working on some final details on the bronze while looking at the original clay head.
Mardie holding the wax cast of the girl while cleaning up imperfections in the wax as part of the process in bronze casting.
"A Few of My Favorite Things"
Bronze, 11 x 25 x 5"
Exhibition Dates: April 9 - 30, 2017
Location:
Autry Museum of the American West
4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027
The night was magical and the weather perfect for a grand evening with our friends and art enthusiasts at the Harbor History Museum. Folks turned out in numbers to stand in front of Mardie Rees’ sculptures themed on the ‘Early Years’ of our lives. We enjoyed a glass of wine and talked until sundown of the joys, trials, and tribulations of parenting.
We also listened intently as Mardie spoke of her inspiration, and of her ever-present attempts to balance her work and life as a mother. As we listened, something happened we weren’t expecting. Here’s what she said:
"This show, ‘The Early Years’, is personal… but it’s not just personal to me. Like any showing of art – it’s personal to you. You personally have experiences and memories that can stir up a dose of nostalgia. Here now you have a chance to stand in front of an object of art and hold on to one of those memories. But before you do that I am going to give you a lens. So everyone close your eyes for a moment..."
"...Picture yourself drifting back in time. Images of your recent past go floating by as you turn back the pages of your life that led to this very spot. You pass through pages of happiness that have been recalled so much they are dog-eared. You pass through pages of sorrows - pages that contain pain but are framed with gratitude that you survived and are wiser for it. The pages speed up as you realize just how many pages that you have in this book and how many of them you have forgotten about. Now the pages begin to slow. They are turning one at a time, revealing images of what it was like in your childhood. Tree-forts and pirate ships, bathing suits and ice cream cones, tea parties and dress-up clothes. You remember the nervousness of your first sleepover and the thrill of running down that grassy hill at breakneck speed. These pages are yours to keep, and the more that you stir these memories and let them rest on your heart for a moment or two, the more at peace you’ll feel about life in the here and now."
I don't know about you, but for me hearing those words was like drinking a cool glass of water. For a moment I was transported to a time where I didn't have a smartphone in my pocket, I had a cool-looking shell that I plucked off the beach; a time where I wasn't paying bills - I was paying attention to the little girl that lived across the street. As I get older, I find that I could use more moments like those in my life, and I bet you a drippy ice cream cone that you agree.
