Melissa Rubin
American b. 1960 New York, NY, based in New York, NY
About Melissa Rubin
Sanctuary
2012
Oil paint, powdered pigment, collage, encaustic on birch panel
15 x 12 in
$450
New Compass
2013
Oil paint, oil stick, powdered pigment, collage, encaustic on birch panel
17 x 17 in
$550
Currents
2014
Oil paint, powdered pigment, ink, encaustic on birch panel
21 x 21 in
Sold
Rolling In
2013
Oil paint, oil stick, powdered pigment, ink, encaustic on birch panel
17 x 17 in
$550
Perfect Sky
2013
Oil paint, powdered pigment, encaustic on paper mounted on birch panel
19 x 11 in
$400
Artist's Statement
The media I choose functions as my vocabulary of expression, as well as standing in as proxy to emotional states of mind.
My artwork is a manifestation of my interaction with my environment, and the effects that environment may have on my outer and inner life. My studio is in Rockaway Beach, in New York City. The work reflects this urban ocean environment and draws inspiration from the light and tones of the open sky, beach and water. The surfaces create a feeling of place, yet also are a conduit through which light can emanate and radiate. Some of my work incorporates the intensity of graphite with the earthiness of powdered pigments, others the translucency of wax and the luminosity so inherent in the medium. I choose materials that help to facilitate a sense of mystery and light, both internal and external. I think of my pieces as places to come to rest, both physically and emotionally, allowing the viewer a moment to reflect, looking outward as well as inward.
Statement about works in VERMONT SUMMER GROUP SHOW
These works explore my relationship with the urban ocean environment where my studio is, in Rockaway Beach, NYC. They speak to my first-hand experience with Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Living a mere 300 feet from the ocean, I had direct contact with the storms impact; the high winds, the flooding of my home, the destruction of so much around me. The pieces are my attempt to express the power, strength, mystery and beauty of nature.
Biography
Melissa Rubin, based in New York, New York with a location in The Village of Cambridgeport, Vermont, shares a selection of paintings using oil, encaustic, graphite, and collage. This work was done after Hurricane Sandy, in 2012, which directly impacted Rubin’s Studio in Rockaway Beach, NYC. The pieces express the power, strength, mystery and beauty of nature. Rubin, a recent participant with the Master Abstraction Residency at MASS MoCA, is also a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation and a New York Foundation for the Arts grants, and received a Fulbright Fellowship to Japan. Her art is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Encaustic Art in Santa Fe NM.
Follow Us
Canal Street Art Gallery
23 Canal Street, Town of Rockingham, Bellows Falls, Vermont
Open Wednesday ~ Saturday 11am - 5pm
Copyright © 2017-2019 Canal Street Art Gallery all rights reserved