DISPATCH - APRIL 26, 2013 (5:30 p.m.)
SAG HARBOR, NY-
An eye for detail and a heart that searches for connections across cultures and humanity found complimentary bedfellows when Jeanette Martone picked up a pencil. Martone spends time volunteering with humanitarian groups assisting communities in need around the globe.
Some of her drawings of people in developing countries form a solo show at RJD Gallery in Sag Harbor, NY. “Hope’s Journey” has an opening reception tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. Martone solo exhibition is the result of her winning the Retreat Art Contest last year. The exhibition was judged by Christina Strassfield, Director of the Guild Hall Museum, and Kathryn Markel, owner of Kathryn Markel Fine Arts of Bridgehampton and Chelsea, NY.
"Hope's Journey" remains on view through May 8.
Martone has the following to say about her art:
"Awareness of the common linkage found in our humanity, the fragility of our cultures, and the vulnerability of those living the barest existence, teetering on the edge of life, inspires the foundation of my work.
"Since 1994 I have traveled with groups to the developing world to participate in volunteer projects assisting the poor. Families generously let us live in their homes or schoolhouse while we assisted in their house building, repair and tree planting projects. We used their tools and shared our skills with each other. We also brought arts and crafts projects for the children and found the adults interested as well.
"We met people whose entire possessions could fit in a small pile, who survived from the pickings of a garbage dump, who had children ill from malnutrition, worms and infections that could easily be treated here, and all welcomed us with warmth and kindness.
"Experiences there have contributed to the evolution of my work. As I depict my subjects, they are captured in a moment of time, revealing their inner grace and the beauty that can be found in the infinite details of their environment; the sun cracked earth, the drape of tired fabric, and the detritus of struggle.
"By limiting color, and emphasizing texture in my drawings, attention is focused on the essential elements of the subject. Complex images are formed that are reminiscent of the protoplasmic origins of life we share. The simplicity and purity of pencil and paper lend an immediacy and intimacy to the work. By creating an interconnectedness between the subject and viewer, it opens up unfamiliar emotions, introspective questioning, and the search for answers. "
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"Imagining" by Jeanette Martone. Graphite and ink on paper, 41 x 26.5 inches.
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Drawing by Jeanette Martone.
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Drawing by Jeanette Martone.
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Drawing by Jeanette Martone.
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Drawing by Jeanette Martone.
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Drawing by Jeanette Martone.
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BASIC FACTS: “Hope’s Journey” by Jeanette Martone has an opening reception on Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. Martone won the Retreat Art Contest, judged by Christina Strassfield, Director of the Guild Hall Museum, and Kathryn Markel, owner of Kathryn Markel Fine Arts of Bridgehampton and Chelsea, NY. The show remains on view through May 8. RJD Gallery is located at 90 Main Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. www.rjdgallery.com
Jeanette Martone has exhibited nationally and on Long Island. In addition, her work was shown in Beijing, China as part of a Global Focus Project sponsored by the National Museum of Women in the Arts of Washington, DC.
More information on her art can be found at www.jmartone.com.
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