MAKING MEANING | August 1 - September 13, 2015
Jim NIckelson, Pyrotechnic Series #46
Opening Artist Reception: Saturday, August 1st 5-8pm
M. Benjamin Herndon
JT Bullitt
Jim Nickelson
Hannah Berta
IN THE LOFT: Paintings by Paul Pedulla.
M. Benjamin Herndon, whose work was originally discovered by Drift Gallery curator, Ali Goodwin, via the Humans of New York (HONY) photography project, represents a number of experiments in form, process, and substance, with the aim to transform humble materiality into content-laden, yet minimal, works of art. Each of Herndon’s works, in its own way, embodies a harmonizing of dichotomies: nature and culture, hardness and softness, decay and permanence, the compression of the large (paper folded ten times: some 200 square feet of paper condensed into less than a square foot), and the expansion of the small (Brown Studies, No. 14: After the Snow: an image of a dirty snow pile transformed into a mountain range). Employing printmaking and other systematic modes of mark-making, these works fuse their content with their formal properties, where subtle and nuanced surfaces invite close and careful looking, and provide a quieted, contemplative space.
JT Bullitt, whose work in sound and mark-making (ink on paper, using pen or brush) was exhibited in the 2013 Portland Museum of Art ‘Piece Work’ Biennial, is an ongoing series of "experiments" that explore the invisible, inaudible, and intangible forces that underlie human experience. He is particularly fascinated by questions of time & memory, language & symbol, and conscious and unconscious choice.
“Every action we perform leaves its mark in the world. Putting pen to paper is thus an ideal metaphor for living. In doing so, over time, points become lines, lines become forms, and forms become symbols imbued with meaning. This hierarchical accumulation of small gestures adds up to a densely concentrated language of action and choice that can be rich with significance and emotional truth.”
In Jim Nickelson’s ‘Pyrotechnics’ series, the underpinning of the photographic work is an intense and abiding interest in science and nature. This interest manifests itself in Nickelson’s photography as he creates work based on the concept of the passage of time, work motivated by natural rhythms and cycles and patterns, work exploring the mysteries of nature, or work simply inspired by the wonder of the natural world. For his Pyrotechnic project, he became interested in how fireworks, as a quintessentially man-made object, mirrored many aspects of the natural world once they were abstracted to their basic forms. The incongruity of the noisy, ephemeral, and commonplace fireworks bringing to mind beautiful and delicate forms from nature continues to inspire him in this ongoing project. Whether the fireworks ultimately recall natural forms that we see with our eyes, or other objects on a microscopic or even astronomical level, each brings to the viewer a different connection based on their own unique experiences and backgrounds.
Emerging Rockland, Maine-based installation artist, Hannah Berta, cuts away organic shapes from yards of “altered” muslin creating an intricate lace of mark-making using form, light and shadow. Her piece, ‘Via Estrellas’ will take center stage in the Main Gallery.
IN THE LOFT GALLERY
Paul Pedulla’s contemporary paintings begin with fresh ideas about space and place. What you see is a moment, often revealing a relationship between neighboring houses, a road and the landscape, the sky and the sea, figures in an environment or a window and the world it views. >>VIEW MORE
