Ruth Philipon –
The Planets
Through December 31
Free
Morean Arts Center
Details here
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NEA/Pinellas Recovers Grant Update
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Born in Toronto, Ruth Philipon grew up in England during World War II. She was educated in England and in France, and is related to Josiah Wedgwood, founder of Wedgwood China. Ruth has been a much-loved volunteer and exhibiting artist at the Morean for decades.
A self-professed “frustrated sculptor,” Ruth creates dimensional artwork from paper. From a flat sheet of paper, she bends, folds, rolls and weaves, adding textures and objects, continually pushing the boundaries of all the materials. Her background in etching and painting led to her studio practice today.
As her style evolved, she continued to recognize the importance of color in her work. “Color conveys emotional power, intellect and passion. It can be subtle, bold or haunting.”
About using paper as a medium, Ruth says, “Creating with paper creates a more spontaneous impact. One move begets another, until the work really flows, dances or sings. It is truly a wondrous metamorphosis. Sometimes I feel like a magician, or shaman, or choreographer — a pictorial storyteller.”
Ruth’s current body of work, and her studio practice for the past several months, has revolved around creating an image for each of the planets. A world-traveler, she is now setting her sights on the outer realm, rendering space in her signature colorful, detailed style.
“As a paper artist and storyteller, I like to create series based on a single theme, then I proceed on a visual journey. The Planets started with Jupiter (the largest) in September 2021, with the following 8 planets ending with Mercury (the smallest) 12 months later in September 2022. What an awesome, challenging, colorful journey.”
– Ruth Philipon’s Artist Statement
for The Planets
Ruth Philipon taught etching at the Morean’s early 7th Street South location, and helped install the gallery when the Arts Center moved to its current downtown St. Pete home.
Also on view in the Morean’s Gallery
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Fa la la la la Florida
Artists were invited to share artwork “inspired by their own holiday traditions and the abundance that lends itself to Florida. The results are skillfully whimsical compositions from more than 100 Morean member artists that use humor and intensity to depict the meanings and emotions that the holidays bring.”
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One Day Tampa Bay
This annual photography project “takes place over a 24-hour period every September and is accessible to anyone with a camera. This community-based contest celebrates photography as an art form in a social and cultural context and encourages participants to see their community in new ways.
“It engaged more than 50 photographers this year who captured moments and reflected on the Tampa Bay area. In gathering a multitude of pictorial stories from the same place, the exhibition invokes new insights into our local surroundings, evokes sentimental feelings, and captures nostalgia as well as moments of peace.”
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Gallery Hours
Monday through Saturday
10 am to 5 pm
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The Morean Arts Center
is a recipient of the Pinellas Recovers Grant,
provided by Creative Pinellas through a grant from the
National Endowment of the Arts American Rescue Plan.
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