Lisbon, Portugal, is a beautiful old city whose white buildings glow in the sunshine on the hills that seem to topple right into the bay. This little marina stands in front of the museum district, a cathedral, and the world famous bakery Pasteis Belem. The masts of the sailboats break up the horizontal lines of the sea, shoreline, buildings, and hilltops, drawing our eyes throughout the entire scene.
Little Rock native Kristen Hess has been taken captive by the rich colors and thick textures of oil paints since 2005. Her work combines the effect of light on her subjects with expressive brushstrokes, creating movement and depth in her pieces. Her representational style along with an extensive background in drawing come together with the atmospheric colors of the impressionists to create paintings that capture the emotion of the place or subject.