Marcy Dunn Ramsey’s one-woman show Solace opens at MASSONIART gallery on Friday, September 16th and will remain on exhibit through October 16, 2011. Also featured will be a selection of sculptures and vessels created by the late Seiko Behr over the span of her career and loaned to the Gallery through the generosity of friends and private collectors.
Last year, Marcy and Seiko decided to exhibit with one another for a very special show. Their work had been featured many times in gallery group shows but this was to be a major exhibition for both. A September date was selected to accommodate Seiko’s summer fishing expeditions in Alaska. Her sudden death in November reverberated through the arts community and her wide circle of friends.
“Losing Seiko pitched all who loved her into darkness. The work in this exhibit is an attempt to show a way through,” explained Ramsey when discussing the paintings created for this show. “Each piece tells a story of search and discovery. The fragility and transitory nature of our lives is echoed in the imagery.”
The Chester River has long served as Ramsey’s muse and continues to give forth its riches as a source of inspiration. While her stunning oil paintings are based on natural phenomena, she often finds herself verging on the territory of the abstract artist. Something beyond landscape is happening on Ramsey’s canvases as she lays down sensuous layers of rich color juxtaposed with bold calligraphic brushstrokes. There is a reverberation in the interstice of mind/soul that transcend the imagery.
”One of the greatest challenges an artist can face over the course of a career is to mine the experiences of a lifetime while maintaining an openness to newness and delight,” Ramsey said when describing the inspiration for this show. “As loss and pain accumulate, it becomes easier to retreat and narrow the scope of experience, but it brings no comfort. True solace only comes with the taking of risks and the extension of self. And so I paint.”
Ramsey has worked on this collection of large-scale oil on canvas paintings for over a year. During this passage of time, the seasons have changed, the country has suffered an historic upheaval, and the artist has shouldered a series of personal challenges including the loss of her dear friend. Ramsey has embraced her challenge to remain open to “newness and delight” and has succeeded in honoring the memory of her much admired fellow artist – Seiko Behr. Although her themes will be familiar to her collectors and long time admirers, this year she has challenged herself anew to deepen both her and our understanding of the secrets that the river – and life – hold for all.
Gallery Hours during the exhibit are Wednesday through Friday, 11am- 4pm, and Saturday, 10-5pm. Private appointments may also be scheduled. For additional information please contact Carla Massoni at MASSONIART, 203 High Street, 410-778-7330. www.massoniart.com
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