SERENDIPITY

Ruth Schneider and Matt Cegelis, artists and a married couple, are exhibiting in the next Summer Artists Series at the Rocky Neck Gallery (RNG) Artist Collective opening June 11 to July 2, at 53 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester.  

INTERPLANETARY
Ruth Schneider

This new show, titled Serendipity, will feature their abstract mixed media prints.  The public is invited to the opening reception on Saturday, June 14, from 6 to 8 pm.  Matt and Ruth will give a brief talk about the serendipitous process of merging multiple images creating one-of-a-kind abstractions.

Matt and Ruth relocated to Rockport from Dayton, Ohio one year ago and already the couple has made a noticeable impact on Cape Ann’s artistic community.  They have both exhibited work in two shows this year at the Rocky Neck Art Colony (RNAC) Cultural Center Gallery: Here & Now, a juried member’s show and Pixel Revolution, a curated digital painting exhibition.  This July, they will be in another RNAC Cultural Center Gallery exhibit: A Fine Line, juried by Al Minor, the assistant curator of contemporary art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  Matt and Ruth are both members of seARTS, where Matt was recently elected vice president.  Last fall, Ruth became a juried member of the Rockport Art Association photography division.  Matt is also exhibiting in the Art in the Barn show this coming weekend at Essex County Greenbelt and both are showing work at the Gloucester Stage Company in August.

When asked how they managed to make such an artistic impact, Ruth replied “Blame it on my husband—he got us both involved in the Dayton, Ohio art scene after he left his sales position at LexisNexis three years ago.  After moving here, he jumped right into the arts scene, volunteering and submitting [work] to the various galleries. It has been a heck of a ride!  We’re thankful that the local art venues have accepted our work.”

Ruth’s interest in photography began during college in the 70's, when she was majoring in art and design.  She had a darkroom for 15 years, and did freelance work for various magazines and publications.  Portraiture and landscapes were her main focus and she worked mostly in black and white, utilizing the "Zone System", which was formulated by Ansel Adams..

While raising two children, she barely used the camera except to document their family life.  With the advent of digital cameras, she took it up again, mostly for recording travel adventures.  It wasn't until two years ago, that she discovered the ability to “play around” with her images, using free software on her computer.  Since then she has been merging her photographs with old, unfinished paintings.  She goes through her photo files choosing which images would work with either a painting or texture (which she photographs separately) or another photograph.  “It has been a real learning experience, and great fun to see the surprising results,” says Ruth.

BIRDFISH AND THE MOON
Matt Cegelis

Matt’s work is primarily focused on a combination of abstract photography and digital mixed media images that he creates on his iPad and his camera. He often merges multiple images, using a palette of digital tools.  “It typically takes many trial and error combinations to build the foundation of an image that I like.  Dead ends, where nothing good comes after much effort, are not uncommon.  On the other hand, knowing when to stop ‘improving,’ when a compelling image is achieved is a constant challenge as well,” says Matt.

This exhibit, the second in the Summer Artist Series, runs from June 11 - July 2 at RNG on 53 Rocky Neck Avenue, Gloucester.  The gallery is open 7 days a week: Sunday - Wednesday 11-6 PM and Thursday - Saturday 11 - 8 PM.  Please join us for an artists’ reception on Saturday, June 14, from 6-8 PM.

The RNG functions as a co-operative where all the artists are juried members and share gallery duties.  RNG is the sister gallery of the RNAC Cultural Center Gallery at 6 Wonson Street.  Together they represent a program of the RNAC to showcase contemporary artists.

For more information please contact Judy Robinson-Cox, Rocky Neck Gallery manager at 978-290-2639 or judy@robinson-cox.com.