Alice Cekloev’s paintings of women are featured in May at Portola Art Gallery

Women — a collection of paintings by Alice Cekloev — is the featured exhibit at the Portola Art Gallery in May, 2022. A reception for the artist will be held on Friday, May 6, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm.

Alice explains: “Whether as archetypes or as who they are, portraying women has always been my passion. I enjoy depicting not only their outer appearance, but also telegraphing their inner worlds, personalities, and agency. Often my models stare back at the viewer, breaking the fourth wall, observing the viewer while the viewer observes them.”

She continues: “I have worked from live models most of my career, which spans over 30 years. Women’s bodies and their complex poses always had a gravitational pull on my creative query. Currently, however, I am focusing more on faces, expressions, and individuality. The few nudes I’ve worked on recently have shed a prudish quality to make way for a non-apologetic portrayal of women’s bodies.”

In this exhibit, Alice features a new work entitled “The Three Fates,” which is based on a Greek myth. According to the myth, the Fates — Klotho, Lakhesis, and Atropos — are responsible for the thread of human life. Klotho weaves the thread of life, Lakhesis measures it, and Atropos cuts it. Thus, the Greeks made sense in a poetic way of how ephemeral our lives are and how little control we have over them.

“This theme enthralls me, leading me to create a triptych of the Fates,” Alice says. “I am not sure what will be the theme of my next body of work, but very possibly it will be centered on women characters from Greek mythology.”

“Lady with Red Hair” (40×30″, oil on canvas) is one of the featured artworks.

The Portola Art Gallery is located within the Allied Arts Guild (75 Arbor Rd, Menlo Park).