Altitude Gallery features Kaetlyn Able "botanical portraits" in June

Monday May. 18th, 2015

Altitude Gallery is pleased to present new work by Bozeman artist Kaetlyn Able.  A reception for the artist will be held during the June 12 Art Walk from 6-8pm.  There will be an artist demonstration in front of the gallery during the Art Walk.  

Able’s “botanical portraits” are inspired by her collection of antique photographs. These intricate and playful drawings and paintings explore the human connection to nature, the tension between natural and man-made worlds, and the passage of time. Able juxtaposes the formality of the subjects’ restrictive clothing, stiff poses, and solemn expressions against wild, vibrantly detailed botanical elements to evoke a secret life that she imagines for each of them.

Able’s “flowery house” series began when she learned that the Native American tribes of Montana once called the Gallatin Valley “The Valley of Flowers.” She envisioned a floral version of a ghost town, where the flowers that once ruled the landscape begin to reclaim the city.   
 
Born and raised near Boston, Able majored in studio art at Wellesley College and earned an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 2004.  Her work has been exhibited widely throughout the Northeast; her paintings can be found in numerous private collections in New England and New York. In 2011, she moved from the east coast to Libby, Montana, with her husband and two young sons. A year later, the family relocated to Bozeman. Today she works out of her home studio while her two little boys sleep, play, or make their own art alongside her.

Altitude Gallery has been showcasing contemporary art in the Gallatin Valley for ten years.  It has been voted Bozeman’s Best Art Gallery for six years in a row.    

Altitude Gallery is located in the heart of historic downtown Bozeman, MT at 134 E. Main St.  Open 10-6 Mon.-Sat. and 10-3 Sun. www.altitudegallerybozeman.com