Modern Tall Ships by Rebecca Klementovich 2023

Exhibit: Tuesday May 2 – Thursday June 1

Meet the Artist Reception: Sunday May 14 from 2-4 PM

The spring art exhibit features the colorful abstract paintings of Rebecca Klementovich! Our next show in a series of Portsmouth history-related exhibits to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the City of Portsmouth.

Klementovich’s Tall Ship series is dedicated to the women of Portsmouth between the 17th and 18th centuries who worked as seafaring captains while being wives. The artist was touched deeply by the tale of Mrs. Gerrish, who sailed the seas with her toddler daughter. During storms, Mrs. Gerrish strapped herself and her daughter to the mast in order to avoid being swept off the ship into the ocean. Klementovich believes that sailing and the emotion of the sea help us process emotions and that color can symbolize emotional states that are otherwise hard to express. The bright pinks, oranges, and yellows of her work represent hope and are in contrast with the deep, dark navy and green seas that represent struggle.

We invite you to meet the artist at a public reception on Sunday May 14th from 2-4 PM in the Levenson Room. Light refreshments will be served. Registration is not required. 

About the Artist

Rebecca Klementovich graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC, where she specialized in fashion illustration. She was a textile designer and fashion art director for 22 years in NYC. Her work in fashion illustration inspired a love of color which became an important design component of her work. In her abstract semi-landscape paintings, she uses a gestural and bold color palette to express nature by dropping the horizon line to make a landscape appear abstract. Rebecca lived near the Mount Washington area in northern New Hampshire for many years. The mountains inspired her nostalgic and lyrical feeling for painting landscapes. She now lives near Portsmouth, NH. Find out more about the artist at Klementovich Art.