Abstraction: Around the Corner, Around the World
An Exhibit by Mel Hyman and Marcy Bernstein
Mel Hyman
"It might seem a bit simplistic, but I think it basically comes down to creating order out of chaos. And I’m grateful that I've been able to do that to some extent with my camera ... since oftentimes it’s feels like an impossible task when it comes to one’s personal life." -Mel Hyman
My interest in photography stems from my senior year at the University of Rochester where I studied under William Giles. He was the best at teaching the basics and motivating his students.
I spent much of the ‘70s and early ‘80s documenting people and places in the Mid-Hudson Valley. My work was exhibited in Rochester, Woodstock, New Paltz, Kingston, Middletown and Poughkeepsie, NY. That period also included teaching stints (Vassar College) and my most enjoyable gig — town photographer for the Town of New Paltz.
In 1983, I transitioned into journalism (with its regular paychecks). Now I’m diving back into photography and am more excited than ever about the possibilities.
Marcy Bernstein
"I find my subjects within 60 yards of my door. With a gifted enough eye, you can find beauty anywhere, all around you.” -Alfred Stieglitz
I am a mainly a painter and I incorporate photography and collage into my work. However, this particular show is focused mainly on my photographs themselves.
I find my “palette” by capturing small intimate pieces of the world in unlikely and unnoticed places. The surprise, beauty and color I find in a small patch of rust or peeling paint on the corner of a building, can take my breath away! I am most drawn to things with a visible history of time passed, of struggle, weathering, erosion, gravity, and human interaction.
Particular images, color, textures and forms are evocative, and my process transform them through my vision into paintings that have a grace, beauty and persistence. They are given new life and meaning in my work by being noticed, and incorporated into paintings.
My painting process involves collage, paint and wax. It is a layering technique that is built up over time. My painting are intended as a visible history of time passed, of struggle, weathering, erosion, gravity, human interaction.
