Thrilled to announce the opening of my show, The Realm of The Cool People on October 7th, 2021. The exhibition will be partnered with the talented New York City-based photo-realist artist, Marcelle Murdock.
Greenwich Village-based ambidextrous artist and fashion designer, Storm Ritter is rooted one foot in the past, one foot in the present. A kindred spirit of the Village’s creative yesteryears, Storm undeniably lives her life with an authentic sense of self. Her series, Realm of The Cool People, opens a door into another existing world around us. Esoterically led, the series invites our souls to identify themselves within. The work encourages inner enlightenment in a time indulgent in technological reliance. Storm paints with her unconscious and conscious in tandem to achieve organic divinity. The spiritual figures in the series are collectively named, The Cool People, a signature motif formed in 2014. They are individually birthed with the emotional left hand and structural right hand. Each uniquely spawned with duality, just like people. Their evolution allows them to ascend as relatable storytellers in a surrealist universe. The highly cohesive series invites us to astral project outside (or inside) of ourselves.
With a passion for heirlooms and ephemera, Storm primarily works with leather paint mixed with acrylic to create a textual depth of energy, mimicking an aged object. As a painter of canvas and garments, Storm sculpts paint in a way to create a sensation of human wear. Her work is naturally intended to feel as though it has transcended through time, elevating an old-world affiliation.
Storm aligned with the heartbeat of the Village in 2015. As a small business owner in New York City, Storm opened a two-story, brick-and-mortar storefront, Storm Ritter Studio, on West 8th Street. Embodying the quintessential village vibe, the store housed a working studio and record-spinning retail shop featuring her original fashion and art. Storm muraled ceiling to floor, always accompanied by her studio cat and soundtracked to classic rock’n’roll. She hosted countless eccentric events, attracting locals and tourists alike to experience nostalgia in a modern community of cool. These moments in time developed Storm’s ability to equally think as an ever-changing artist and as a successful business head.
“The Hierophant” depicts a psychedelically ethereal land with a dominating leader. Akin to the tarot and mystical literature, the colors and composition showcase an internal kingdom of power. Although alluding a feminine presence, The Cool People, are inherently both genders. Society prioritizes male first over female in collective word associations. In Storm’s work, female characteristic take precedence in the term, people, but we are all one in the same.
In “The Magician,” a crystal ball takes center stage, revealing a musician in a theatrical space. Depicting ethereal movement, the figures dance in harmony. Like others in the series, the title is inspired by the tarot, connecting musicians and magicians as equals. We are conductors of our own lives, and that’s only what the crystal ball can predict.
Storm Ritter has been designing and painting since her early start in scenic design. She graduated from New York University, attending Tisch School of the Arts and Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Her work experience in television/stage costume and editorial fashion styling equipped her skills in personal presentation. With gratitude to the inspiring characters she’s met along the way, Storm values endless didactic education. Her business, Storm Ritter, Inc., enables her to work as an full-time artist, designer, and retailer from her West Village studio. Inner peace is our most valuable currency, and Storm’s mission is to share the richness of our souls.