REVIEWS
Patter Hellstrom - Chance Wind.
Comment by AB: The Linearis Institute, formerly the Masterworks Institute for Works on Paper relocates to tony Maiden Lane, and celebrates the incarnation with a show of direct confident unequivocal Zen-like abstracts on yupo (plastic) paper by Patter Hellstrom. Between you, me and the lamppost, referring to an art gallery as an "institute" could conceivably be construed as a wee bit pretentious.
Articles and content copyright Alan Bamberger 1998-2008. All rights reserved.
Examiner.com
Navigating Expression: Introducing yupo paper paintings by Patter Hellstrom
Masterworks Institute for Works on Paper 251 Post Street Suite 500
San Francisco, CA 94108
November 1 – 30, 2007
San Francisco, CA (October 23, 2007) – On Thursday, November 1, 2007, the opening reception for a solo exhibition of new work by Patter Hellstrom will be held at Masterworks Institute for Works on Paper at the San Francisco gallery located at 251 Post Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94108. Free and open to the public, the exhibition will be on view from November 1 to 30, 2007.
This new body of work by Patter Hellstrom was created on yupo paper, a medium which has emerged as an alternative to traditional art papers. Completely synthetic and made entirely of polypropylene, other artists have found the paper to be receptive to various aqueous techniques. However, Hellstrom has chosen to highlight the synthetic quality of the yupo paper by painting entirely in acrylic ink, a departure from media seen in her previous work. The yupo paper works demonstrate continuity in concept of Dharma, circular motifs balanced along a central axis while splayed with pools and spatters of bold colors. Some pieces also contain her signature geometric graphite constructions, acting as a point of reference within spacious areas of color and evoke the paradox of detachment in the midst of undermining forces.
Patter Hellstrom is one of the few contemporary living artists represented by Masterworks Institute. She has exhibited extensively on both East and West Coasts for over a decade, and her work is part of selected art collections such as J.P. Morgan Chase, Pershing Foundation, Pfizer, McDonald's Corporation, and the Nantong Museum in China.
Abundance - Patter Hellstrom
Internet Review from Art Business.com
FIRST THURSDAY 09.07.06 BY SANDIP RAY
"First of all it is always refreshing to see gouache on paper, and Hellstrom's calligraphic influence takes bold gambles which pay off in the perfect execution of dynamic displays of harmonious circles, straight lines, spatters of colors fading into thin diminuendos, lines bleeding into tributaries".
This exhibition of works of art by Patter Hellstrom is comprised mostly of pieces created by the artist since her move to California in 2004. Entitled Abundance, the exhibit represents Hellstrom’s expression of gratitude for the sense of abundance in her life, especially the depth of her work and her opportunities to share her work with others.
The focus on circular forms, obvious in this exhibit, is indicative of her work over the past ten years. In addition to the works on paper, which often involve circles balanced along a central axis, she also prepares installations of natural materials in the form of Buddhist mandalas (symbolic representations of the cosmos), which are also based on a circular form.
The paintings in this exhibit from Hellstrom’s Dharma Series involve geometric constructions that are seen within spacious areas of color expressing the paradox of detachment in the midst of undermining forces. The paintings’ scale echoes body proportions, drawing a relationship between the drawn axis and the spine, with works such as Spine Straight and Chakras actually mirroring the human body.
Many of the works in this exhibit have been directly influenced by her observations and experiences in California. Although a relatively new official resident of the state, Hellstrom has felt a strong connection to California ever since her first visit nearly 12 years ago, when she fell in love with the land and the people. Although she was settled in the East, she and her husband always knew they would end up on the West Coast.
Despite having “completely embraced being in California, with the landscape, the water, and the environment,” Hellstrom maintains her ties to the East Coast through both her own art and her work as an exhibition curator. Through her unique position as an artist and a curator, she is able to provide viewers with a deeper experience of artwork. This allows her the opportunity to “make artwork in a different way… to organize someone else’s art by creating relationships between those works, creating a dialogue of sorts.” She is also able to apply that measured curatorial opinion to her own works, thereby giving those works of art a voice beyond that of an artist.
The materials used for the works in this exhibit include watercolor, acrylic paint and washes, graphite, and ink. The ink is either a waterproof black ink or a material known as “Quink.” Quink is a type of ink that behaves erratically in response to water and changes color. For Hellstrom, the Quink “acts a metaphor for the random and unpredictable quality of life.” As she explains, “I started using it shortly after 9/11. My studio was very near [Ground Zero in New York City]. So it was an incredibly fortuitous moment to find this material that also resonated with that chaotic experience."
Exhibition Summary ~ supervising curator, Suleyman Cooke
Art in Soul: Jersey City exhibit combines meditation and thinking
JERSEY JOURNAL SHOWTIME! SECTION C – COVER STORY
BY STAFF WRITER JESSICA ROSERO
Friday, March 19, 2004
The idea for the newest art exhibit in Jersey City "Spirit in Art," is to expose metaphysical art to the public, a type of work which is much inspired
by meditation, Buddhist philosophy, and Buddhist thinking on the part of the artist, as well as other forms of spiritual discipline. According to Peter Zirnis, curator for the exhibit, many of the pieces presented are metaphors for people coming through their earthly wants, and achieving a purified state of thinking.” It’s enriching, it's exciting," said Zirnis, referring to the introduction these metaphysical art works to the public. "And then having people come, you learn from different view points."
At first glance you see a typical corporate building on Washington Boulevard, but passing the windows in the front lobby of the ISO Towers, which houses the ISO Corporation, you'll find the work of eight well-known Jersey City artists: Maggie Ens, France Garrido, Patter Hellstrom, Jun'ichiro Ishida, Barbara Meise, William George Stamos, Robin Tedesco, and Nancy Wells. This also the second art exhibit to grace the lobby of the ISO Towers.
No stranger to the art scene, the Newport downtown area of Jersey City has provided artists with new venues for last few years. Their newest prime location in the ISO Towers demonstrates the city's continuing commitment to expanding the Arts District, and bringing more vitality into the downtown area.” We have been doing exhibitions here in Newport for the last two years,” said Patter Hellstrom of Jersey City, featured artist and assistant coordinator. "They (referring to the Newport organization) really have a strong commitment to the arts."
Based on an artist slide/lecture program of the same topic organized by France Garrido, another featured artist, and Rocio Aranda Alvarado given at the Jersey City Museum back in November, where Patter Hellstrom was invited to speak, "Spirit in Art" became a project between Peter Zirnis and Patter Hellstrom. "I was so impressed, that Peter and I put the idea together for an exhibit," said Hellstrom. "I heard about some of the work, and I thought it would be great to give it a wider audience," said Peter Zirnis, curator. These artists are interested in spirituality in their art, and try to define that in their art." A lot of credit for making this exhibit possible has been given to the sponsors Central Parking, Dorrian's Red Hand, and the Newport/Lefrak Organization for sponsoring the space and funding.
The exhibit contains about 16 pieces on display, which include paintings, collages, and sculptures. Special panels for the show had already been built by the Newport community for a previous exhibit Zirnis and Hellstrom coordinated last October entitled "Inside Out," Works on Paper. Each panel contains two works by the artists. One work facing out, so the art can still be viewed during the evening, while the other facing the lobby of the ISO Towers.
All manner of materials were involved in the construction of these pieces from the traditional acrylic paints that made up Jun'ichiro Ishida's "Seeking the State of Samadhi" to the telephone wiring and toy soldiers that were integrated in Maggie Ens "Extinction Tapestry." "It has my strong feelings about the environment, and the beauty we need to preserve and be mindful of," said Maggie Ens, of her piece, "Extinction Tapestry."At first the piece appears to be made of branches or pieces of bark, but upon closer inspection you see it's made up of all types of cables and wires intertwined with other materials such as fake plant leaves, feathers, and plastic toy soldiers. A suggestive piece of what society
at times takes for granted such as cables and wires, which can even be considered obsolete in our now wireless world. "Art can say things that are difficult to say, but this way people can have a civilized dialogue and create change," said Ens. The exhibit will run until April 21, and will be open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. "It's a beautiful space, a beautiful showcase," said Janet Kolstein, collage artist from Guttenberg. "I hope to see a lot more art in Jersey City."