An exhibition featuring the paintings of Maria Rose Adams and the ceramics of Jeff Blandford
December 2, 2016 – January 27, 2017
Maria Rose Adams
I have an MFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Washington and a dual BFA in Studio Art and Art Education from Michigan State University. I currently live and work in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I make carefully orchestrated, patterned paintings depicting domestic interiors with bold, layered planes of color, repeated motifs, and a shallow sense of space. Akin to writing in a journal, the paintings are a record of lived and imagined experiences. My work gives voice to the often trivialized feminine interior and reflects a contemplation of the whimsical space between reality, memory, and a daydream.
Balance, repetition, joyful color, and a little bit of friendly confusion guide my decision making process. The work often begins with a single pattern created in a state of quiet introspection. Objects then interrupt the plane and propose both visual and narrative problems to be solved. Beneath the conglomeration of motifs is the suggestion of personal identity tied to the repetition of daily life – domestic work, the adornment of one’s home, self care, etc. – and the joyfulness that can be found within.
For more information about Maria Rose Adams please visit: http://mariaroseadams.com/
Jeff Blandford
While receiving my BFA in Studio Art (ceramics) from Michigan State University, I had been throwing pots and opening my own private studio and gallery space in Saugatuck, MI during my summer vacations. Each summer throughout my college career I would leave my studies and communal studio of MSU to re-open my studio/gallery off the Blue Star Highway. Here I would balance my making of work along with the art fairs in the Chicago area that I would do at the same time. I often joked school was play and summer was work. After finishing my degree in December of 2007, I started a studio out of my home in Saugatuck, MI where I teach small classes and in 2015 I opened Jeff Blandford Gallery in downtown Saugatuck.
My work is about design, materials, and process. By utilizing a vast variety of materials, the work is forced to explore a number of directions. From raku, natural clay digging, large-scale forms, blown glass, metal work, and painting, my studio is filled with a never-ending sense of exploration.
Having grown up near the Herman Miller World Headquarters in South West Michigan, I have been submerged in mid-century-modern design sensibility since childhood. Simple, clean lines, and an unexpected use of materials has driven my curiosity and aesthetic since the beginning.
By utilizing color and simple shapes, I have always enjoyed the fact that my work sparks an interest and sense of appreciation by everyone who encounters it.
For more information about Jeff Blandford please visit: http://www.jeffblandford.com
