Amanda Greive 'Kitty, Kitty' (2022) 24 in. x 18 in.

A woman’s visage is veiled by a bouquet of vibrant spring flowers, one hand grips the top back of a blue wingback chair while a carnation dangles from the other hand, its petals falling into her lap. A halo frames her head, the nod to saintliness juxtaposed with her casual black and white striped shirt dress and bright pink sweater which draws our gaze to her bare toes painted in the same bold shade. Her legs are strategically positioned to make room for a cat with an outstretched paw ready to scratch.

The sitter’s precarious pose evokes movement, a tension between the grasping hand and entwined feet. The cat’s eagerness to claw her feet is underscored by the tattered chair. The background stark save for a tangled power cord plugged into an outlet.

Artist Amanda Greive plays with feminine figures and floral imagery to explore the “inherent dichotomies” and “the push and pull between societal perception of women and their reality.”

Kitty, Kitty from a series of hyper-realistic paintings that borrow from an array of classical and contemporary symbols and motifs, is especially timely. Our relationship with interior space radically transformed during the pandemic, forcing us to look inward while examining our environments and behaviors.

“Kitty, Kitty is part of a series of paintings inspired by the idea of looking for ways to thrive during times of disaster,” said Greive, who lived and works in central Illinois. “This painting, wherein the face is obscured by flowers to suggest a generalizability, depicts the simple joy of sitting in your favorite chair at home while entertaining yourself or a pet and emphasizes the necessity of guarding and preserving our mental and physical health.”

Greive painted Kitty, Kitty on an Artefex panel for Beneath the Surface, a group exhibition that opens Friday in New York at Rehs Contemporary, in partnership with Artefex. The wide range of 17 featured artists includes Hiroshi Furuyoshi, Julie Bell, and James Neil Hollingsworth.

“Painting on Artefex panels impacted the outcome of my work in a very positive way. Because the panels come already acrylic primed, I didn't have to spend time prepping them as I normally would, which was very advantageous in terms of turnaround time and completion of my paintings,” Greive said.

Moreover, the panels provoked an exploration of preservation.

“Knowing that Artefex prioritizes the archival quality of their panels, more than anything, has bolstered my confidence in the longevity of my paintings,” Greive said. “When you're confident in the foundation for a piece, that sureness carries over to the other materials that you use to create the work.”

Hiroshi Furuyoshi 'Maya' (2022) Oil on Artefex panel 5 in. x 7 in. Signed

Rehs Contemporary, run by the fourth generation of the family, shares its space with its parent company, Rehs Galleries, which specializes in historical paintings which require meticulous handling and care to preserve quality and value. Rehs Contemporary partnered with Artefex, because its panels are made of lightweight but rigid and durable aluminum composite material (ACM) which is resistant to warping, cracking, tearing, and fluctuations in humidity and temperature. Two strong sheets of aluminum are bonded to a solid polyethylene core and coated on one side with a white polyester coil and a mill (polished aluminum) finish on the other.

Japanese oil painter Furuyoshi, whose intricate, miniature works evoke 19th-century neorealism, is influenced by his early childhood experience in his grandfather’s antique shop.

“I place and paint antiques and other objects that I have collected myself,” Furuyoshi explained. “I take pictures of the models and paint them, as many of the models are children and they cannot hold the pose for long periods of time.”

Paining on Artefex gave Furuyoshi confidence that his work would endure time.

“Because I paint small sizes, I needed to apply a flat ground coat to the panels I received from Artefex,” said Furuyoshi. “Other than that, no new techniques were needed. Artefex is made of rust-resistant aluminum, which is safe for me.”

Julie Bell 'Dream Traveler: Tiger' (2022) 16 in. x 16 in.