Jocelyn Hobbie portrays women in uplifting environments in latest show

Fredericks & Freiser in Chelsea is currently presenting a collection of paintings by Jocelyn Hobbie in a self-titled exhibition. For her second show at the gallery, Hobbie unveils several evocative portraits of young women dressed in alluring outfits wearing mostly dresses and skirts with elaborate patterns against backgrounds featuring flowers or rainbows. The women are sitting or standing alone often appearing to be deep in thought suggesting a complex character.

One notable image titled Bee, Yellow, Indigo features an innocent looking young woman with blue eyes and short golden, curly locks stretched out on a sofa with red, blue, and green floral patterns and green tree leaves hanging from above. The darker, cooler colors in the background contrast with the woman’s bright yellow dress with black stripes and her light pink necklace. A similar piece titled Foxglove depicts a woman with short, sleek brown hair wearing a knee-length sky blue skirt and a top with black and red zigzag patterns relaxing on her bed as she’s surrounded by light purple and yellow calla lilies. Her short, sleek brown hair eloquently frames her beautiful face with rosy cheeks and blue eyes.

Kitten (2015) by Jocelyn Hobbie

Another piece titled Kitten whose subject, as the title suggests, is that of a young brown and white feline being held in one hand by its female owner. The owner is wearing a bright yellow bathrobe with Cubist style red, white, and black shapes and behind her are several colored flowers clustered at the top of the image that fall apart further down in the image, like a floral rainfall. Her other hand is on her hip and her intense expression on her face and her stance is that of a fiercely protective mother.

Besides flowers, rainbows are another popular subject with Hobbie that can be found in works like Rainbows and Rose Gold. In Rainbows, a woman wearing a pink and orange dress with eclectic patterns is seen slipping out of her navy blue cloak with two hands beside her belonging to a mysterious suitor whose body is invisible. Rose Gold, depicts a young woman sitting in a chair wearing a light green shirt with black and yellow circular designs and a pink skirt with her eyes half closed. The rainbows in the background of both images vary in shape, size, and color.

At Fredericks & Freiser NY, 536 W. 24th St., through Jun. 18. The gallery is open Tue.-Sat. from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.