Gena Smith
Fine Arts (Painting)
Printmaking
About
Gena Rynae is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist who combines photography, painting, and printmaking to create work that engages with issues of agency, loss, and a desire for social change. Gena began her artistic exploration in Chesapeake, VA, where she turned to art to help her cope with the death of her father and grandfather. She uses storytelling to channel memories that deeply influence her work. It is these memories that stitch her work together. She makes artwork that speaks to conversations about textile waste by repurposing second-hand fabric and exploring quilting as a historical tie to her enslaved ancestors. Her work pushes her to investigate constraints by limiting the material she uses to only that which was given to her. Every tapestry is adorned with a hand-quilted frame made of found or donated materials. The frame is assembled specifically for each piece as a way to symbolize care and comfort towards the subjects. Gena has exhibited her work within the last year in group exhibitions all over LA, including Reciprocity at Art Share LA and Lines of Stitching at LASC Gallery.
Contact
gena@genarynae.com
All Fine Arts Students
- Jason Burns
- Sydney Busic
- Camila Caceres
- erick cortes
- Chandler Dangaard
- Molly Dickler
- Emma Diffley
- Amoura Gonzalez
- Tiffany Gutierrez
- Joseph Hernandez
- Kyaw Min Htet
- Yiwen Hu
- Katie Irish
- Delany Jackson
- Greta Karr
- Augusta Kokas
- Junhui Lin
- Lukas Mitchell
- Scout Parkerson
- Gena Smith
- Lindsay Stollman
- Latife Whittington