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Joel Berry • Statement
My work is an exploration of the duality between chance occurrence and purposeful action. Two differing processes are balanced to create each piece. The first represents a chance operation and involves the limitation of control over visual results. Impulsive application of liquid paint and the use of gravity to push and pull it across a surface allow an unpredictable integration of black and white. By contrast, the layering of concentric circles is a deliberate approach. It calls attention to extensive control and determination with paint, accepting the initial layer as a foundation for premeditated pattern. This divergence in processes is parallel to the reality that human experience is the balance of what we do with what is beyond our control. Correspondingly, the use of black and white paint offers a visual link to the constant play of positive and negative that defines consciousness.
Working with diluted paint allows for the chaotic formations as well as the intricacy involved in the focused application of circles. Additionally, it provides the fullest contrast and richest value possible for both processes. Surfaces are often pre-existing and intuitively selected from a multitude of possibilities, as with lakeshore rocks. These rocks are chosen for their specific form, however it is happenstance that causes one to catch my eye amid such a vastly rocky landscape. Chance also determines the fractures, and therefore the surfaces to be painted, as I smash rocks together and gather the resultant fragments to peruse. Other substrates include objects of personal relevance chosen for their sentimental or allusive qualities.
The attainment of harmony between these oppositional processes and materials necessitates the completion of my paintings. This striving for balance within a visual convergence imparts a calming, mindful awareness of the present moment and a retreat from the complication of life. My hope is that these positive results are passed on to the viewer, instilling in them some new sense of balance or peace.
Joel Berry • Biography
Education
2005
Grand Valley State University, Bachelor of Fine Arts; Emphasis in Printmaking
Honors and Awards
2008
Juror’s Award, Festival Regional Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, MI
2006
Purchase Award, Festival Regional Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, MI
2004-2005
Branstrom Scholarship Award
2004
Honorable Mention, The Print: Regional Printmaking Competition, Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI
Selected Exhibitions
2011
Grand Valley State University 50th Anniversary Alumni Exhibition, 1121 Performing Arts Center, Allendale, MI
2010
Free Radical Exhibition, 44 Ionia, Grand Rapids, MI
Art Prize, LaFontsee Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI
2009
Festival Regional Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, MI
Alumni Art Auction: Scholarship Fundraiser, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
2008
Avenue for the Arts Exhibition and Showcase, Forest Hills Fine Arts Center, Grand Rapids, MI
Festival Regional Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, MI
RED, Stray Dog Café, Grand Rapids, MI
Art Around Town: Art Works Auction and Fundraiser, Kindel Furniture Company, Grand Rapids, MI
2007
Loss and Found, Fwd>>Space, Grand Rapids, MI
2006
Free Radical Gallery Event, 341 S. Division, Grand Rapids, MI
Festival Regional Arts Competition, Grand Rapids, MI
2005
Disparate Landscapes: BFA Exhibition, Grand Rapids, MI
Regional Printmaking Exhibition, Elaine L. Jacob Gallery, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Student Retrospective, Art Gallery, 1121 Performing Arts Center, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Excessity: Student Exhibition, Calder Art Center Gallery, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
2004
24th Annual Alma College Printmaking Competition, Clack Art Center, Alma, MI
Summer Student Exhibition, Art Gallery, 1121 Performing Arts Center, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
The Print, Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI
Mixed Media: Grand Valley State University, Free Radical Gallery Event, Grand Rapids, MI
2003
Regional Juried Drawing Exhibition, Elaine L. Jacob Gallery, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Summer Student Exhibition, Art Gallery, 1121 Performing Arts Center, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
El Dia de los Muertos: Group Printmaking Exhibition, Free Radical Gallery Event, Grand Rapids, MI
Calder Student Exhibit, Kirkhoff Center, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
2002
Calder Student Exhibit, Kirkhoff Center, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
Experience
2010-PresentPrintmaking Studio Technician, Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids, MI
2006-Present
Framing Department, LaFontsee Gallery/Underground Studio, Grand Rapids, MI
2007-Present
Resident/Member/Seasonal Event Host and Participant, Avenue for the Arts, Grand Rapids, MI
2008
Art Works: Artist Mentorship Program, Urban Institute for the Contemporary Arts (UICA), Grand Rapids, MI
2006
Volunteer Administrative Assistant, UICA, Grand Rapids, MI
2005
Discussion Panel Member for visiting lecturer Bruce Mau, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI
2004
Commissioned edition printing of intaglio plate by artist Reynold Weidenaar
Publications
2010
Featured in a Grand Rapids, MI based online periodical Rapid Growth
