As part of the ongoing commitment to the community, the Monument Sotheby’s International Realty office located in Roland Park has began hosting gallery shows for local artists. The Ruxton office is following their lead. Opening this Thursday, January 30, 2020 and running until March 18, we will be featuring the paintings of Jennifer Berk.
Jennifer is an expressionist painter and works primarily in acrylic and mixed medium on canvas and paper. After a 25-year career in marketing, Jennifer began studying abstract, landscape and figurative painting under a variety of accomplished, nationally known painters. Never having attended a school of art, Jennifer is otherwise self-taught. Her work has been exhibited in a variety of juried and non-juried shows and can be found in regional and local corporate offices, as well as in private collections from Florence, Italy to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
I first met Jennifer during her marketing career, and was delighted to rediscover her during an open studio tour. She is one of my favorite painters, and I own two of her lovely small paintings on paper. Whit Harvey and his wife Joanne Larson are avid collectors of paintings and other artwork, and they also currently own one of Jennifer’s small works. Whit already has his eye on two paintings in the show, so patrons of the arts should make sure to attend the opening if they don’t want to miss out.
I recently visited Jennifer’s studio to help her choose additional paintings for the show – a nearly impossible task, as I love almost every single painting she’s done– and there are a LOT of them. If you are in the market for paintings, and what is hanging in the Ruxton office is not exactly right, make an appointment to visit her studio, where you are sure to fall in love.
In Jennifer’s Words:
My favorite paintings are the ones I don’t know I’m painting until they’re finished. I remain open to possibility, painting what comes from within, letting the canvas guide me. Often, the result is a rustic and abstracted landscape. Most likely a pasture or open field, frequently remembered from my childhood or from my travels. I am drawn to the abstract and the outdoors. These paintings are mostly instinctual.
Abstract painting is a welcomed departure from life’s routines, schedules, and expectations. From the smallest task each morning, we have a schedule, a plan, a goal for what needs to be accomplished. Abstract painting offers an almost overwhelming amount of freedom. A blank canvas. No directions, no expectations, no preconceived plan or image, keeping everything in a state of flux, fragile and bold.
Painting is unknown territory, an act of discovery. I focus on the process, and am unconcerned with the final destination. My paintings stem from a dream, a journey of self, an exercise of faith – to a finished product that will hopefully affect the viewer in a lyrical and personal way.
My work is mostly abstract and gestural. Colors are rarely realistic or as they “should” be. Painting for me is a journey, preserving the color and richness of nature, figure or idea in a lasting image for years to come. I try to capture the excitement, the energy, the light, and the peace in the vistas or figures I am viewing – take everyday objects and transform them into something colorful and interesting.
Don’t miss the opening this Thursday, January 30 at 7707 Bellona Avenue in Ruxton. Parking available across the street, or in the Graul’s parking lot.