Greta Kresse

Greta Kresse (b.1999, LittleRock, AR) is a plein-air painter based in Fayetteville, AR. She received her BA from Hendrix College and is pursuing an MFA at the University of Arkansas, supplementing her education through programs at the New York Studio School and The Mount Gretna School of Art. Kresse teaches workshops at the Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas. Working primarily in oils, she creates vibrant narrative paintings that explore human connection within the Southern landscape, particularly focusing on intimate scenes along Arkansas rivers. Her documentary-style approach captures moments of profound connection between community members, investigating themes of isolation, beauty, and love in the American South. Drawing inspiration from regional poetry and direct observation, Kresse’s work proposes comfort and connection as forms of resistance, presenting authentic representations of her community.

Artist Statement: The Meeting Place

In the consuming heat of Arkansas summers, where do we meet and who do we hold onto?When the bugs swarm and the air is heavy; empty like a cicada shell, I blissfully surrender to the bloodless afternoons. My work explores the intersection of human connection and landscape, where figures intertwine like climbing vines against the back drop of the river. Through my paintings, I investigate how we find intimacy and solidarity within the complex social and environmental fabric of the American South. Working in a documentary style, I capture specific moments of connection between friends and community members, exploring themes of isolation, beauty, and love. My subjects are both intentionally and intuitively chosen from my immediate community, their presence coloring my experience and narrative. The river serves as a central meeting place in my current body of work, where figures blend with the landscape in a meditation on identity and place. Drawing from my plein air practice, I included work from direct observation to provide an additional layer of witness to the landscape. Other pieces employ varied technical approaches—limited palettes, glazing, digital composition studies, and invented elements—to amplify seemingly mundane moments into the profound. Some pieces explore the transcendent experience of swimming, presenting it as a moment of complete unity with the world, while others demonstrate the intricate relationship between human bodies and their environment. The quieter works place the figure hidden or turned away from the viewer to invite the observer into a more private moment. Poetry, particularly regional works, has become an increasingly vital influence on my practice. Like poetry, my paintings inhabit an ambiguous space where wisdom, experience, and sensation compress into singular moments. It is a relief that we cannot do anything alone so pulling from poets and songwriters from this region allows me to be in conversation with my community while reaching back to others who have responded to the same land. Through this work, I propose love and comfort as forms of protest, finding beauty in a region shaped by historical turmoil without succumbing to romanticism or nostalgia. My aim is to authentically represent my community through a contemporary lens, documenting moments of genuine connection while maintaining awareness of our complex social context.