By
Lorna Ritz
Piece description from the artist
Saatchi The composer Lew Spratlan and I were scheduled for a "Concert Conversation" at Smith College February 9th: https://youtu.be/QLDLf7DraxU but he passed away from a recent illness just a few hours before the performance. We could have cancelled but proceeded with it just as let would have wanted us to do. A violinist, violist and pianist performed his piece twice, done from one of my paintings, 'August Landscape," in between which the musicians, audience and I had discussions in keeping with Lew's and my many decades connection between his compositions and my painting. I worked a month on this painting in memory of Lew, painting 7-8 hours a day to get the essence of our friendship expressed as fully as possible. There is so much feeling in his music just as there is in my painting; thus, the connection between us since the day we met, (at MacDowell Colony in 1972).
Lew and I have watched and listened to each other's painting/music since 1972, attending each other's exhibitions and concerts over decades. The idea to compose improvisationally from each other's work Lew jumped on board first. Music moves in a linear way and painting, even though takes months to make whole, is seen in one single moment. Lew's music incites visual responses from which I continue to paint. Good thing I have a perfect visual memory!!!!!
Lorna Ritz studied under the instruction of painter James Gahagan, (a student of Hans Hofmann), who was a very important teacher for her in the 60’s. She received an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 1971, in both painting and sculpture, (welding steel, and casting in bronze and iron). She welded steel for 25 years, but never stopped painting, and only paints now. It is color and paint that structures the space that then finds the volumetric composition of her painting. BFA Pratt Institute MFA Cranbrook Academy Art.Taught @: R.I.School Design, Brown U,U MN, Dartmouth College VT Center,NY Studio School, UMASS, Residencies:C-Scape Dune Shacks,'P’Town, MA., International Program, UMASS, Cape Town,South Africa, Wurlitzer Foundation, NM.,Arcadia National Park, ME, Fundacíon Valparaíso,Spain; Roswell Museum Art Center, NM.,MacDowell Colony, NH, Lectures: Instituto de Belles Artes, (Medellin, Colombia), Honduras; American U, (D.C. + Italy);Humboldt U.,(CA);American U, (France) Divinity Center Yale U, Bowery Gallery,NYC, Hillyer Gallery, and Oresman Gallery at Brown Fine Arts Center @ Smith College,'Contemporary Art Museum" UMASS. ,Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, Fine Arts Center P’Town, MA. Group exhibitions:"Anita Shapolsky Gallery, NYC, The Painting Center," NYC Edward Hopper Museum, NY, Hannah Bacol Busch Gallery,Texas, Lamont Gallery, Phillips Exeter Academy, NH. solo shows: Contemporary Art Museum UMASS,,State House,Boston, Aidron Duckworth Art Museum, NH.,French Cultural Center, Boston, Grants: Artists' Fellowship, Berkshire Taconic Foundation, Haven Foundation,ME, George Sugarman Grant, Puffin Foundation, NJ, Kittredge Grant, Harvard U., Pollock-Krasner Grants, Esther & Adolph Gottlieb Individual Grant, Ludwig Vogelstein, Blanche Colman Grant Public Collections: U Michigan Museum Contemporary Art, Hale and Dorr Law Firm, Bank of Boston, Johnson &Johnson, (N.J.), Anderson Museum Contemporary Art, (N.M.), Burnham Institute, (CA.), Veridex, (NJ),Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Childrens' Hospital, Nataxix Global Asset, Cedars Sinai Hospital LA,Audax Group, United Health Group Corporate Minnesota, McLean Hospital @ Harvard Medical School, Ipsen Cambridge, MA.
An Art Advisor will get in touch with you today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your artwork needs.
Get Started
