Uprise Art is pleased to present Ghosts in the Garden, a two-person exhibition of new paintings by Nefertiti Jenkins and Rebeca Raney.

Populated with lush botanicals, atmospheric jewel-toned light, and a recurring cast of characters, Jenkins and Raney’s otherworldly landscapes transport the viewer into an escapist fantasy.

Jenkin's paintings depict the transformation of everyday items, such as a flask or flower, into anthropomorphic characters that coyly navigate the painting's built environment with mysterious motives. In Flower Master, sinuous ropes of verdant vine slither from the depths of a flower pot and onto the table, encircling a woman whose expression is partially concealed by a bulbous bloom. Is the woman the master of the flower or is the flower the master of the woman? Throughout Jenkins paintings, this ambiguous balance of power and agency is a recurring motif. Are the depicted elixirs life-giving, or live-taking? Is the garden a passive witness or an active battalion?

Raney’s large-scale Crêpe de Chine silk paintings depict a jubilant congregation of characters rendered with jewel-toned dye in a sentient unplaceable forest of her own creation. Amongst the women, ghosts, dogs, and daisies, the artist notably punctuates the space with illustrations of pencils, a deliberate although disembodied reminder of the artist as authoritarian overseer of the painting’s kaleidoscopic sprawl.

Utilizing a process of painting invisible resist onto silk, which cordons off areas where no dye will penetrate, Raney’s linework and decisions are irreversible. Each painted line unfurls possible compositions, with no revisions. The painting holds as a record of Raney’s touch, and as an optimistic container for time, finding meaning and marvel within the blissful, relentless passing of each day.

In Ghosts in the Garden, Jenkins and Raney pay homage to the wisdom and spirit of nature and the eidolon’s of the ether as conduits for internal and external reflection.

Nefertiti Jenkins (b. 1994) is a New Jersey-based painter. Jenkins takes on reflections of past experiences and memories as a way to find appreciation for the rarer moments in life. Choosing high chroma colors, skewed figures and quasi-surreal environments, Nefertiti's portrayal of her recollection through formal paint handling leads to an ambiguous and dream-like narrative.

Rebeca Raney is a New York-based artist (b. 1980) whose illustrations, sculptures, and paintings on silk evoke a whimsical, unpretentious expressiveness that appeals to wide audiences. Drawing mostly from her own memories, the artist creates quirky characters, which seemingly belong in an eternally happy world. In addition to her fine art practice, Rebeca teaches art to women on the Autism spectrum through Felicity House – a constant source of joy and inspiration. She is also the founder of Ray's Beret, a creative endeavor that aims to inspire the world of children and their imaginations. Rebeca holds a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and an MFA from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, NY. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in New York, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan, and Miami, and she has been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times, Miami Art Guide, and Brooklyn Magazine.