Pixels & Paint

Pixels & Paint

The work of Geri Gray, joAnn lense and ellen martin at the Mix Lounge

Artists’ Reception Saturday, May 15th from 7 – 10 pm

The Mix, Imagine Long Branch, and the Long Branch Arts Council are pleased to announce the opening of “Pixels & Paint,” an art show curated by Monmouth Beach painter ellen martin. Photographers Geri Gray and joAnn lense, and ellen martin will be exhibiting recent work at the show. You are warmly welcome to come and meet them at the artists’ reception on Saturday, May 15^th from 7 – 10 pm. It will be upstairs at the Mix Lounge, 71 Brighton Avenue, Long Branch, NJ. If you can’t make the opening and would like to see the show another time, please call 703-868-2833. The show will close on Monday, May 24.

Admission to the show is free. Complimentary light snacks are being graciously provided by Karyn Jarmer of My Kitchen Witch in Monmouth Beach; and by Sam Nativo and Michael Bienz, owners of the Mix Lounge. There will also be a cash bar featuring reduced-rate specialty drinks.

Geri Gray, of Ocean Grove, will be presenting pieces from her mannequin series as well as some sharp street scenes. joAnn lense will be showing photographs from her newest body of work, “The New Topographics.” ellen martin will be showing her latest small abstract paintings. Both photographers have been working at their craft for many years, while artist ellen martin started painting in December of ’08. All work presented will be affordable and may even have good investment potential as all three artists are still in the emerging phases of their careers, and have had work recognized by respected judges.

Background Information

joAnn lense started studying photography in her early teens. In her own words, she is a photographer because, “I foresee movement, a moment, an emotion prior to its existence; because I am able to anticipate the motion of a tree, a brook, a blade of grass; and because I see beauty in what others perceive as ugly. I am a photographer because I anticipate light, shadow, odor and presence. I am a photographer because that is who I am.” joAnn’s work is in numerous private collections, as well as in the Getty Images database.

Geri Gray studied photography at Brookdale Community College after her retirement from a local medical center in the ‘90’s, and she switched to digital photography in 2007. Says Geri, “Photography satisfies me. The camera gives me confidence and is a tool for my relaxation. The excitement is in the "hunt," to find that one composition that has not yet been captured and then present it in an exciting and colorful manner for others to see.”

ellen martin observes her creative development with bemusement and glee.

Both joAnn lense and Geri Gray had work accepted into the “Edgy to Avant-Garde” show earlier this year at the Guild of Creative Art, which was juried by Doug Ferrari of SICA. They were both also juried into the 2010 “EyeSights” photography show at the Guild by Ricardo Barros, and where Geri won an Honorable Mention for “Express Yourself.” ellen martin’s “Circles,” was juried into the Monmouth Museum by Maura Lynch of the MoMA.

All three artists are members of the Guild of Creative Art and the Belmar Arts Council. ellen martin also works with the Organization of Puerto Rican Artists and is a member of SICA, the Art Alliance of Monmouth County, the Monmouth County Arts Council, and the Monmouth Museum. joAnn lense is a member of the Art Alliance of Monmouth County, and SICA. Geri Gray is a member of the Monmouth Camera Club, the Photographic Society of America and the National Association of Photoshop Professionals.