Gallery Neptune is pleased to present Joan Belmar, Cameron Petke and Marie Ringwald, May 14 - June 5, 2010. All three artists favor a stripped down approach in their work which occurs whether it is through transparent acetate, porcelain clay or wood and metal constructions.
Joan Belmar's art alternates between paintings on paper to structured acrylic paintings using Mylar and acetate. Belmar adheres closely arranged perpendicular strips of Mylar to a back surface and then places a parallel translucent layer on the front of the art. By keeping the front image simple and in focus, the Mylar strips create optical illusions of blurring the image when viewed from the side or allow a clean uninterrupted view straight on. These optical illusions mirror Belmar's thoughts. The artist compares his images to the physical stability we recognize in our lives which can easily become blurred or disrupted by our emotions which are not always stable, thereby altering our own perception.
In addition to this new series, Belmar also creates wonderful paintings of biomorphic forms, patterned with delicate line work and presented without a reference to location. These airy, floating shapes constantly come close to resembling objects we recognize as tools, plants, balloons or fish but it is the talent of this artist that makes us instead view the shapes as primitive cousins of these things or some kind of futuristic incarnation. Joan Belmar is a 2010 recipient of the Maryland State Arts Council's Individual Artist Award.
Cameron Petke spent a year producing a comprehensive exploration of the aesthetic and acoustical variables involved in making clear-ringing contemporary ceramic bells. Influenced by the classical beauty of marble sculpture, Petke fashions his bells with porcelain clay which is finely sanded and left unglazed to mimic the surface quality of polished stone. Similar to the outer-inner symbolism portrayed in Joan Belmar's structural paintings, Cameron Petke uses the bell as an artistic object that retains the solidity of its form as it rings with the purity of an ephemeral vibration.
Marie Ringwald returns with new layered wood and metal constructions through which she continues to exercise her interest in store front and warehouse facades. As she simplifies various geometric compositions and carefully balances color, texture and reflective light, Ringwald produces elegant pieces that retain an honest and direct message about architecture and design. The exhibit will feature "Patchwork Warehouse in Black and Silver" an impressive example of carefully edited work, which results in a fine minimal palette using steel, wood and tar paper.