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January 31, 2005
"BLUE CRYSTALS,”
A SOLO EXHIBIT BY JANET FILOMENO, ON VIEW AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY
“Blue Crystals,” a one-person exhibit of paintings by
Janet Filomeno that investigates the organic essence of life, is
on view in the South Gallery of the Ben Shahn Galleries at William
Paterson University in Wayne from January 31 through March 4, 2005.
Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission
is free. A reception for the exhibit will be held on Monday, January
31, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Filomeno’s exhibit features works from the artist’s
most recent series, which continue to be inspired by microscopic
biological imagery of the human body. “The works play with
a pictorial reality that fluctuates between the painterly process
and imaginary dimensions, and reveal the aesthetic qualities inherent
in organic structures,” she says. “They are contemplations
on the mystery and miracle of life.”
In these works, nature is embodied through translucent sapphire
blues, layered spatters and trailing lines of paint that evoke bodily
fluids and spills. “Recalling laboratory slide specimens,
‘Blue Crystals’ hovers on a razor-sharp edge between
abstract expressionism and figuration, tempered with a minimalist
sensibility that revels in saturated, radiant monochromatic color,”
says New York artist and art critic Joyce B. Korotkin in the catalog
essay for the exhibit.
Filomeno employs natural materials to create her works, specifically
oil, enamel and shellac on wood panels. Shellac, in particular,
is an organic resin derived from lac, a substance that is secreted
by an insect that feeds on the sap of trees. “The shellac
is thus a metaphor for the organic, life-giving fluids that flow
through the tree and the insect; and it is the fluid through which
Filomeno’s ideas flow and crystallize on the canvas as well,”
says Korotkin.
Filomeno’s works have been exhibited in one-person exhibits
in New Jersey, New York, and Arizona, and in group exhibits in China,
Korea, Italy, and Austria. Her works are included in the collections
of the Montclair Art Museum, and the Printmaking Workshop of New
Jersey, among others. A graduate of the State University of New
York at Albany, she earned a master of arts degree from Montclair
State University and is a candidate for the master of fine arts
degree at Vermont College.
Filomeno’s exhibit is one of three shows on view concurrently
in the Ben Shahn Galleries. On view in the East Gallery is “CONSTELLATIONS,”
an exhibit of electronic sculpture by James Seawright. “Chronologies
and Connections, 1855-2005: The Evolution of the University in a
Global Context” is on view in the Court Gallery.
This exhibit is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey
State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency
of the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Ben Shahn Galleries are wheelchair-accessible. Large-print handouts
are available. For additional information, please call the Ben Shahn
Galleries at William Paterson University, 973-720-2654.
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