-- ON THE CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE
IN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
♪
HORIZON, ALL THESE MAGICAL
THINGS HAPPEN.
I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PAINTING FOR
REMEMBER.
SEAN: REBECCA KLEMENTOVICH AND
KRISTEN POBATSCHNIG ARE BOTH
ABSTRACT PAINTERS LIVING AND
WORKING IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.
THEY'RE ALSO A DYNAMIC DUO ON A
MISSION TO BRING MORE ATTENTION
TO FEMALE ARTISTS AND
CONTEMPORARY ART TO PEOPLE OF
THE NORTH COUNTRY.
>> WE GOT TOGETHER AND THOUGHT,
HOW CAN WE INCREASE THE PRESENCE
OF ABSTRACT ART UP HERE?
BECAUSE TRADITIONALLY THIS AREA
IS VERY MUCH ASSOCIATED WITH
19TH-CENTURY REALIST PAINTERS,
MORE TRADITIONALISTS LIKE
CHAMPNEY, SO WE WERE LIKE, HOW
DO WE BREAK THE ICE INTRODUCING
ABSTRACT WORK?
AND SO THAT IS WHEN WE STARTED
COLLABORATING TOGETHER.
SEAN: AND THE FEMME FATALES OF
THE NORTH WERE BORN.
>> WE CAME UP WITH THE TITLE
FEMME FATALE BECAUSE IT HAS AN
ELEMENT OF DANGER, AND WHEN
YOU'RE PAINTING HERE IN THE
FOOTHILLS OF MOUNT WASHINGTON,
IT'S DANGEROUS.
SEAN: BOTH WOMEN EMBRACE THEIR
SURROUNDINGS AND TRANSLATE THEIR
VIEW OF THE WHITE MOUNTAIN
LANDSCAPE ONTO THEIR CANVASES.
>> I FIND THAT THE LANDSCAPE
HERE IS DEFINITELY VERY
INFLUENTIAL IN MY WORK, EVEN
THOUGH IT IS SOMEWHAT
NONREPRESENTATIONAL.
THERE ARE HINTS OF INFLUENCES
MIKE FROM DIANA BATH OR THE
SNOWFALLS WE GET.
IT PLAYS A PART IN MY ARTWORK.
TYPICALLY IN THE BEGINNING OF
EACH PAINTING, I WILL DO A LOT
OF DRY BRUSHING AT FOREST -- AT
FIRST, AND THEN I WILL START
MOVING THE CANVAS IN THE WAY
THAT I WANT.
AND THIS ONE ESPECIALLY EXHIBITS
TITLE, THE DANCE.
>> WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT PAINTING
IN NEW ENGLAND IS THAT WE HAVE
FOUR SEASONS, SO THAT IS FOUR
DIFFERENT PALLETS.
THIS IS CALLED THE COVERED
BRIDGE, AND WHAT WAS SO FUN
FIRST ABSTRACT PAINTING OF A
COVERED BRIDGE.
MY BRUSHSTROKE IS VERY MUCH
INFLUENCED THROUGH DEKOONING'S
WORK.
SEAN: BOTH OF THE FEMME FATALES
WORK INDEPENDENTLY -- KRISTEN AT
THIS STUDIO IN CONWAY, REBECCA
AT HER OWN STUDIO IN BARTLETT --
BUT THEY GET TOGETHER OFTEN TO
CHECK OUT EACH OTHER'S WORK AND
TO BRING THEIR WORK OUT INTO THE
COMMUNITY.
>> WE ENDED UP TAKING ABOUT 30
ABSTRACT PAINTINGS AND PUTTING
THEM THROUGH THE TRAILS OF THE
JACKSON SKI FOUNDATION CENTER,
AND WE JUST HAD THE PUBLIC SKI
TO EACH PIECE.
AND WE HAD THIS BLIZZARD IN THE
MIDDLE OF IT.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO REALLY
EDUCATE PEOPLE THROUGH THAT.
>> I THINK OFFERING EVENTS
OUTSIDE THAT TYPICALLY NON-ART
GOERS WOULD ATTEND, IT HELPS
THEM DEVELOP SOME SORT OF ART
APPRECIATION, SEEING IT
FIRSTHAND.
SEAN: YOU CAN FIND ORIGINAL
ABSTRACT ARTWORK FROM THE TWO
FEMALE ARTISTS ALL OVER THE
COUNTRY, BUT IT'S A SPECIFIC
GENDER THAT TENDS TO BE BUYING.
>> IT'S USUALLY A SUCCESSFUL
MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN WHO IS BUYING
OUR WORK.
SHE REALLY UNDERSTANDS IT, AND
SHE LOVES HOW VIBRANT THEY ARE,
AND SHE HAS A GOOD UNDERSTANDING
OF ABSTRACT WORK.
>> WE ARE JUST TRYING TO PROMOTE
THE PRESENCE OF WOMEN ARTISTS,
AND WE GET A LOT OF RESPONSE
FROM OTHER WOMEN, AND IT'S
INSPIRING TO THEM SEEING US PUT
TING OURSELVES OUT THERE.
AND HOPEFULLY THEY CAN GENERATE
MORE MOMENTUM.
SEAN: COLOR PLAYS A LARGE ROLE
IN BOTH WOMEN'S WORK AND IS
OFTEN THE BINDING COMPONENT,
HOWEVER UNCONSCIOUSLY, THAT TIES
THE WORKS TOGETHER WHEN THEY'RE
SIDE BY SIDE.
>> WE ARE INTRODUCING A
COMPLETELY NEW PALETTE TO
EXPRESS THE MOUNTAINS AND
PAINTING.
>> IT'S FUN SEEING OUR WORK
TOGETHER BECAUSE IT'S VERY
DIFFERENT, BUT IT IS ALSO TWO
SIDES OF THE SAME COIN, I FEEL
LIKE, BECAUSE WE ARE TWO VERY
DIFFERENT SCHOOLS OF MODERN ART
VERY WELL REPRESENTED IN THE
21ST CENTURY.
SEAN: ABSTRACT WOMEN ARTISTS
LIVING IN THE NORTH COUNTRY OF
NEW HAMPSHIRE -- SOME MIGHT
THINK THAT'S A TOUGH WAY TO MAKE
A LIVING, BUT FOR REBECCA AND
KRISTEN, THE FEMME FATALES OF
THE NORTH, IT'S A CHALLENGE THEY
FIND INCREDIBLY REWARDING.
>> I FEEL LIKE I HAVE ALWAYS
BEEN AN ARTIST.
IT HAS JUST ALWAYS BEEN IN MY
BLOOD, SO THE MOST REWARDING IS
-- MOST REWARDING THING IS TO BE
ABLE TO SUCCEED AT SOMETHING
THAT'S CONSIDERED ONE OF THE
HARDEST FIELDS TO SUCCEED IN,
ESPECIALLY UP HERE IN THE NORTH
COUNTRY.
IT HAS BEEN CHALLENGING, BUT IT
HAS BEEN -- I THINK WE ARE
MAKING GREAT PROGRESS BY HAVING
THESE GROUNDBREAKING SHOWS THAT
ARE REALLY OPENING DOORS TO NEW
ART LOVERS AND EDUCATING THE
THAT HAS BEEN REALLY FUN, TO SEE
DEVELOP.
>> IT TAKES A LOT OF COURAGE TO
HUGE BRUSHSTROKE.