145SHOW PREVIEWin which the partly cloudy day created a
“strobe-like effect across the marsh.”
In contrast to Farnsworth’s artwork,
Arenas’ paintings “are about under-
standing people and how they exist in
the world,” she says. “The pieces usually
have an underlying theme but are also
about people’s interaction with art. My
work is not an exact depiction of a scene.
I purposefully flatten out scenes with line
and shapes to turn people into art.”
Her painting Accessible is an interesting
concept where John Singer Sargent’s
Portrait of Madame X hangs in what
appears to be a restaurant or cafeteria.
Musing on the painting, Arenas asks,
“What if great art was available to us in
very common places? Would we take the
time to notice?”
And Dreams of Cats depicts a young
woman who modeled for Arenas. “She
didn’t believe that she could make art
herself more than simple line drawings,”
the artist elaborates. “She came into my
studio to model and absolutely fell in love
with my cat.”Reinert Fine Art & Sculpture Garden
Gallery 179 & 181 King Street • Charleston, SC 29401 •
(843) 694-2445 • http://www.reinertfineart.com2 3
4
1
Bill Farnsworth,
Revelry, oil, 18 x 24"
2
Heather Arenas, And
Dreams of Cats, oil on
cradled birch, 40 x 30"3
Heather Arenas,
Accessible, oil on cradled
birch, 48 x 36"4
Bill Farnsworth,
Boat House, oil, 16 x 20"