Scenes Unseen: Works by Orna Feinstein

September 09 - December 16,2023

From the Beeville Art Museum: "Beeville Art Museum will present Scenes Unseen: Works by Orna Feinstein, September 9 – December 16, 2023. The compressive exhibit features more than 100 pieces including monoprints, paintings, mixed media, and sculptures from various series that she worked on in the past 21 years. In addition, a site-specific installation will also be on display. Feinstein will discuss her creative process and inspiration at an artist’s reception on Saturday, September 9, from noon to 2:00 p.m. The reception is free and open to the public.   For 25 years, Feinstein’s artistic journey has been defined by the interplay between nature's organic intricacies and the mesmerizing allure of geometric patterns. Inspired by the beauty of nature, its color, texture, and energy Feinstein has found the tree trunk to be nature's most intriguing and inspiring object. With a focus on the interior geometry of the organic, her work is often inspired by the vascular tissue of a tree; specifically, as viewed through a microscope. Feinstein explained the fascination in this way, “When the trunk is sliced horizontally it reveals a repetitive and meditative pattern of rings. When sliced vertically, it reveals more complex and puzzling linear and circular patterns.”   Feinstein has found that monoprints are the perfect way to express this intersection of art and science. “The process of the printmaking is usually two-dimensional,” said Feinstein. “Over the years, I’ve gravitated toward making the print increasingly dimensional. When you create a monoprint, the result is a one-of-a-kind image and often effects that cannot be achieved in any other form of art.” The monoprint is a unique and spontaneous technique that gives the artist freedom to work with a wide selection of materials such as inks, pencils, crayons, and pastels, and to choose from a variety of methods to create images. Feinstein’s prints often appear on non-traditional materials like plexiglass, boards and fabrics thus creating pieces that are textural, dimensional, and kinetic.   Trees have long been the primary subject of Feinstein’s work, even in places where there are no trees. Two days prior to her departure for an expedition in Antarctica, she conceived an idea to create collages while on the ship, and then exhibit them on one of the islands on the peninsula. The result was a January 2023 show entitled The Presence of Absence on Snow Hill Island, Antarctica. Featuring 10 collages created on the journey, the show was the first ever solo exhibition on the island. The collection was exhibited again in July 2023 in Woodfjorden, Svalbard, in the Arctic Circle. Feinstein's record makes her the first artist ever to create and show her artworks on both poles in 6 months. In July 2023, Feinstein went on another expedition, this time to the Arctic Circle. She created 12 more collages onboard the ship. These artworks were shown on the ship surrounded by Sea Ice, and in front of Monacobreen Glacier, in the Arctic Circle. These 12 artworks are included in her current exhibition at the Beeville Museum.   “The scope of Orna’s works is extensive and intriguing,” commented Executive Director Tracy Saucier. “Her scientific approach, mixed with her monoprint techniques, generate works with endless opportunities for additional discovery.” Due to the quantity and scope of Feinstein’s work, the museum decided to dedicate all six galleries to the exhibit.   Houston-based, Israeli-born artist, Orna Feinstein graduated Summa Cum Laude, receiving a BFA from the University of Houston and a diploma from the Glassell School of Art. In 2021, seventeen of her artworks were acquired by Museums, seven of them by The Museum of Fine Arts Houston. In addition, her work can be found in numerous national and international private, corporate and public collections, including: National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan; Douro Museum, Portugal; Fidelity Investments, Houston, Texas; Keshet Eilon Music Center, Kibbutz Eilon, Israel; Skopelos Foundation for the Arts, Skopelos, Greece; Pablo Atchugarry Foundation, Uruguay; University of the West England, Bristol, United Kingdom. In 2018, Feinstein published her book "Treetopia" celebrating and documenting 20 years of artworks. Feinstein was recently awarded second place by Museum of Modern Art curator, Cara Manes in the Assistance League Celebrated Texas Art.   The Beeville Art Museum, created and operated by the Joe Barnhart Foundation, is first and foremost a teaching museum, providing cultural and educational opportunities for the citizens of Bee County and surrounding areas. Cited by Texas Monthly magazine as one of the “great small towns for art,” Beeville, with a population of approximately 13,000, is home to one of the most ambitious art and educational programs in Texas. In addition to exhibiting works by some of Texas’s most renowned artists, as well as selections from private collections and major museums across the state, the Beeville Art Museum provides docent-led tours and art classes for children and adults and workshops for Beeville educators at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.   Scenes Unseen: Works by Orna Feinstein will be on display September 9 – December 16, 2023 at the Beeville Art Museum, 401 E. Fannin, Beeville, TX, 78102. The museum is open to the public 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is always free. To contact the museum, please call 361-358-8615 or visit www.bamtexas.org."

On View: September 09, 2023 | 12-5 pm

Beeville Art Museum 401 East Fannin
Beeville, TX 78104
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