Melissa Rubin
Melissa Rubin · Source: New York Artists Circle · Rights retained by the original rights holders
- Medium
- Encaustic, Ink, Mosaic, Oil Paint, Oil Pastel/Crayon, Paper, Pastel, Watercolor, Wood
- Practice
- Collage, Drawing, Mixed Media, Painting, Printmaking, Works on Paper
Melissa 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 Fellowshi… Full biography
Biography
Melissa 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 work has been featured in ARTnews Magazine, Encaustic Arts Magazine, on CBS This Morning, and has been used in performances and movie sets. Her art has been exhibited in solo and numerous group exhibitions. The most recent venues to show her work are the Pelham Art Center; Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA; Atlantic Gallery NY, NY; John Molloy Gallery NY, NY: Art on Paper Fair at Pier 36 NY, NY; San Luis Obispo Museum of Art CA; the Museum of the City of New York; The Burgdorff Gallery of Southern Vermont College Bennington, VT. Her art is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Encaustic Art in Santa Fe NM and many of her works are in private collections in the United States and Europe.
Artist statement
I consider my 'Surfacing' series, which includes the sub-series 'Fragments', visual poetry which reflects the urban ocean environment where I live. My studio is by the ocean in Rockaway Beach in New York City, and I am greatly influenced by and draw inspiration from, the light and tones of the open sky, beach, and water. 'Fragments' is directly inspired by the shards of ceramics and pottery that I find washed up on the beach. Within these fragments, which fit in the palm of my hand, I find patterns, colors, and textures that bring maps, networks, and arteries to mind. I strive to convey a lyrical quality in my use of mixed media, which includes encaustic, an ancient wax process. When viewing my work, one steps through a watery, luminous surface into a world created from the layering of collage; pigments; incised textural patterns; drawings. With all these different possibilities of material and gesture, a two-dimensional space is transformed—gaining depth and luminosity, taking on a life of its own. My paintings bring awareness and mystery to the elements that influence my art.
