Visual Art – San Francisco

Marisa Rheem is an Oakland-based painter whose vividly contemporary work evinces an arresting clarity. Rheem captures zoomed-in glimpses of street fashion, women in paint-splattered overalls, and slick manicures with curiosity and reverence, translating them into masterfully wrought, uncannily animated compositions. With her remarkable precision and hypnotic, dazzling use of color, Rheem occurs as an artist who intuitively understands that the act of painting is equal parts restraint and joy. The emphasis is not on perfectionism, but rather on honesty, which translates into snapshot-like vignettes that feel timeless, despite their contemporary edge.