rrlerner@nj.rr.comStatement
My wall-hung assemblages are totally tangible and direct having been created from a variety of ordinary materials. Contrasting pieces of fabric, metal, plastic wiring and mesh are placed so that disparate parts can relate to one another, and at the same time, form “a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.” These improvisational constructions evolve from a choice of scale, materials and color. The work is complete when something of value is perceived and to do more would destroy it.
The essence of the work is ethereal, sensual, and unabashedly romantic. Soft edges, pastel colors, winding movement and clouds of mesh speak of a yearning for another world, an improbable one that lives mostly in fantasy. I feel that my art is deeply personal and somewhat eccentric being that the materials used and their treatment are unconventional.
The work often refers to ancient times in modern terms such as in “Sephora” and in titles, i.e.
“Venus's Girdle.” These references to antiquity may be construed as affectation. Nevertheless, I am genuinely drawn to history and mythology. They give me a strong connection to and a broader understanding of man through the ages. Humanism and spirituality are at the core of my interest. So, it is not surprising to see their influence in my art.
The work is reality-based if one accepts fantasy as an important aspect of the human spirit (though the idea may seem a contradiction in terms). I would rule out “artifice” in the content or creation of the work, if one is defining artifice as a clever expedient, a crafty or subtle deception, or a skillfully contrived device. (Online Free Dictionary) I will admit to introducing metal and lamé to attract the eye, but they also serve to create movement, direction and a division of space.
Overall, I would say the work is open and clear in both content and form. A great deal of attention is paid to detail and whatever remains is there for the sake of the work.
I experience art as an adventure. Unexpected combinations move a work into the realm of discovery. Each piece has a distinct quality having met its own requirements; yet, one sees the same artist at work.
Bio
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITS
2003 New Jersey Artists Series, Johnson & Johnson
World Headquarters,
New Brunswick, NJ
2002 Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
1998 Ceres, Soho, NY
1995 Ceres, Soho, NY
1993 Maurice M. Pine Free Public Library, Fair Lawn, NJ
1987 William Carlos Williams Center Gallery (now Meadowlands Art Center),
Rutherford, NJ
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITS
2010 Gallery Artists Part VII, Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
Real(ists), Selby Gallery, Ringling College of Art & Design, Sarasota, FL
Art Center of Northern New Jersey (ACNNJ) Sculpture Affiliates,
Marcella Geltman Gallery, New Milford, NJ
2009 Sculpture at Play II, Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
ACNNJ Painting Affiliates, Bergen Community College, Hackensack, NJ
2007 Sculpture at Play, Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
Biennale Internazionale Dell'Arte Contemporanea, Florence, Italy
Gallery Artists Part IV, Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York , NY
ACNNJ Painting Affiliates, John Harms Intermission Gallery, Englewood, NJ
2006 ACNNJ Painting Affiliates, Sussex Community College, Sparta, NJ
Artists in Conversation, Two-person show, Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
2005 9 Artists, ACNNJ Sculpture Affiliates, The National Arts Club, New York, NY
Opening Night of Chelsea Gallery, Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
2004 Gallery Artists Part 1, Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
The Spark That Lies Within, National Association of Women Artists, New York, NY
2003 Of Myth and Metaphor, Arabesque and Line, Walter Wickiser Gallery,
New York, NY 2000 ACNNJ Painting Affiliates, 101 Hudson Street, Jersey City, NJ
1999 Spiritual Dimensions '99, St. John's 24th Annual Exhibition,
St. John's Chapel Gallery,
Newark, NJ
1998 The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of its Parts, Kunstlerforum, Bonn, Germany
1997 Diverse Visions, Painting Affiliates, The Interchurch Center, New York, NY
Affirmative Action: Celebrating Women, Ceres Gallery, New York, NY
ACNNJ Painting Affiliates, John Harms Intermission Gallery, Englewood, NJ
1996 Out of Bounds: Coloring Outside the Lines, Ceres Gallery,New York, NY
1995 The PERRNS Artists, Lobby Gallery, New York, NY
1994 58th Annual National Midyear Exhibition, Butler Institute of American Art,
Youngstown, OH.
Views From Different Directions, Ceres, Soho, NY
1993 Fellowship Exhibition, Stedman Gallery, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ
New Horizons: 1992-1993 NJSCA Fellowship Recipients,
Long Beach Island Foundation of Arts and Sciences, Loveladies, NJ
ACNNJ Painting Affiliates, Lever House, New York, NY
18th Annual Members Show, City Without Walls, Newark, NJ
1992 Painting: NJ, Ben Shahn Galleries, William Paterson College, Wayne, NJ
1991 42nd Art of the Northeast USA, Competition Exhibition,
Silvermine Galleries,
New Canaan, CT
Salute to Women in the Arts, Paterson Museum, Paterson, NJ
1990 Invitational, Loft Lawyers, New York, NY
1989 53rd Annual National Midyear Exhibition, Butler Institute of American Art,
Youngstown, OH,
40th Art of the Northeast USA, Competition Exhibition, Silvermine Galleries,
New Canaan, CT
Salute to Women in the Arts, White Gallery, Franklin Lakes, NJ
Four New Artists, Pindar Gallery, New York, NY
FELLOWSHIPS
1991/92 New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State
AWARDS
1993 Outstanding Achievement Award, New Horizons: 1992-1993 NJSCA Fellowship
Recipients Exhibition, Long Beach Island Foundation of Arts and Sciences,
Loveladies, NJ
AFFILIATIONS
Walter Wickiser Gallery, New York, NY
Trustee since 1989, Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ; Painting & Sculpture Affiliates of ACNNJ, New Milford, NJ
Ceres Gallery 1994 -1999
EDUCATION
1981-1982 Art Students League, New York, NY
1981-1985 Art Center of Northern New Jersey, New Milford, NJ
1983 -1985 New School of Social Research, New York, NY
1983 -1984 School of Visual Arts, New York, NY
1953 -1957 Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY, B.A.
