Bailey Contemporary Arts Presents Florencia Clement De Grandprey Solo Exhibition

Bailey Contemporary Arts (BaCA) begins the celebration Women's History Month and International Women's Day a little early with a dramatic and colorful solo exhibition by Florencia Clement de Grandprey. The local artist has dedicated much of her career to projecting positive and inspiring images of women. This exhibition will be on view in the West Gallery/Blooming Bean Coffee Roaster from February 1-March 30, 2019. Opening reception February 1, 2019 from 6-9pm and Artist Talk on March 23, 2019 at 2pm. For more information www.baileyarts.org.

"A large portion of my artwork is dedicated to projecting a positive and inspiring image of women by portraying strong, elegant and proud ladies. My series of Empowered Women began in 2014 and continues today," said Grandprey. "This collection includes a tribute to all the amazing mothers who fight to bring up physically and emotionally healthy children, to confident women who are comfortable with their bodies, to natural beauties proud of their heritage, and to those of us who are different and don't necessarily "fit" in to societal standards. You will find my contribution is uplifting and empowering, sometimes a little daring, but always tasteful."

Born and raised in southern Spain, Florencia is the daughter of an American mother and a French/Italian father. Now living in Pompano Beach, the self-taught mixed media artist's mission is to empower and inspire through positive and meaningful artwork.

"We are delighted to be showcasing Florencia's work," explained curator Juliana Forero. "This is an exhibition where visitors will be embraced by images of strong women. Most of the images are facing the viewer directly with an inviting gaze, almost like a playful challenge to sustain it. Florencia's background as a professional makeup artist, adds a dramatic beauty to each piece, while simultaneously celebrating her subjects as 'perfectly imperfect beings.'''

Grandprey produces mixed media paintings by incorporating, up-cycling and repurposing materials that would otherwise be disposed of such as discontinued fabric and paper samples. The myriad of colors, textures, and mesmerizing patterns found in these samples inspires her choice of materials and reveals her main techniques: the first is painting on canvas with materials added to a painted figure; the second is painted directly on upholstery fabric, where the pattern of the fabric becomes intertwined with the image.

"When I paint, I'm painting as much for myself as for others, because I know there is a lot of pain and suffering that needs healing in every single one of us. I am in every one of my paintings, and hope that others can recognize themselves in at least one of them too, and so, as I heal myself, maybe, just maybe, I can ease someone else's pain as well," stated Grandprey.

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