Artist Reception: Iris Klein

Through art, Iris Klein tells stories of women and their relationships—with themselves, with society, and with each other.

Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica welcomes Iris Klein back to our gallery this February and March. A reception for her exhibit will be held in Forbes Hall after worship service on Sunday, March 19, 2023, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm.

About the Artist

Since the age of 12, Iris has been trained in the art of understanding human behavior, connecting people to their feelings and being in the truth of the moment in word, action, and behavior.

When we feel recognized, we transmit and receive infinite energy.

Iris Klein is an artist who paints and sculpts. Iris sees paintings in most everything and enjoys the journey of putting paint to paper, sheet metal, or canvas.

Her first years painting were of landscapes, real and imagined. Flowers like pink and red roses, plumeria, tumbleweeds, leaves of palm, and oranges filled her mind with colors and shapes.

Iris has a series of “Collaborative” paintings which artist Jim Klein and Iris co-created, simultaneously working on one piece at a time. These works explore the human condition, the journey of life from, “The Wedding,” and “Refugees,” to “Blind Faith,” and “The Questions Posed By Time”.

“I love to paint and sculpt. I work with oils, chalk pastels and acrylics. I mold with clay. I paint on archived brown, black and white paper, on canvas and on wood. I am deeply aware of the paper or canvas and that is where the vision begins. The hands that shaped it, framed it and carried it to market. The materials speak to me and when I listen, the canvas, paper and wood become my companion in conversation, laughter, tears, agreement and argument. The materials inspire me as does the world around me.

“I paint women, mostly, they want to come through the paper and canvas. When I think I will paint something else, one of them raises their hand and guides me to them. They speak of a time, a place, a circumstance or a relationship. I paint landscapes, real and imagined, imagined mostly. I love color and mixing them together to create a palette that will tell the story of the time, the place, the circumstance or the relationship to the aforementioned.

Painting the series called, “These Women,” took me through many lives and stories. I love listening to what comes through and communing with nature and people is one of my favorite things to do and to paint.”

The reception is free and open to the public, and the artist will donate a percentage of her profits to support our congregation.

To view the exhibit after the reception, please call Esther Chase at (310) 829-5436 x100.

For all other inquiries, please contact Art Director, Beverly Alison.