Dutch artist and illustrator Femke Hiemstra (featured) returns to Roq La Rue Gallery for a shared solo alongside Casey Weldon (featured) on Thursday, August 7th. Titled Warten am Waldrand or Waiting at The Edge of the Forest, this is her 7th show with the Seattle gallery.
Included in the exhibition are graphite drawings, painted vintage book covers, and pieces on found antique objects, part of her recognizable, signature types of works. All framed in vintage frames bought at flea markets and restored by her father, this body of work is a sequel to the dark fairytale-like imagery from her previous exhibitions. Cleverly mixing cute with scary, her detailed paintings and drawings could be both seen as endearing dreams and creepy nightmares, but often also have a sense of morbid humor in them.
She draws her inspiration from everyday life and subtle events she likes noticing in the animal world. Incorporating a good amount of fantasy, her creations work as triggers for an observer’s imagination. Each piece tells a fantastic story, starring mostly animal characters, often mutilated and almost always engaged in random human activities. Examples include Pooch Patrol showing two old guard dogs at work, or You Sure It’s Pure telling a story about a duck that’s illegally buying sushi, or The Crafties, depicting two fox cousins knitting wet spiderwebs into rivers.
The show will run through September 27th, so make sure you check it out if you’re in the area, or get in touch with the gallery if you’re interested in any of the works.
