Thursday, December 22, 2016

Peter Barnitz - USC UPSTATE Gallery on Main - Opening January 2017

                                                 








FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jane Nodine, Gallery Director
Mark Flowers, Gallery Coordinator
University of South Carolina Upstate
Visual Arts Center 125
800 University Way
Spartanburg, SC 29303
P: 864-503-5848
F: 864-503-5835
jnodine@uscupstate.edu

UPSTATE Gallery on Main presents “ENGULFED,” a selection of contemplative and reductivist paintings by prominent New Orleans artist, Peter Barnitz. The exhibition opens January 10 and runs through March 4, 2017.  An artist’s reception will be held on January 19 from 5–8 pm.
Inspired by both dance and the intricate choreography of sports, Barnitz creates visually complex, deeply meditative abstractions that combine the notion of movement with an appreciation of the schematic. Delicately rendered, utilizing interwoven and playful geometric clusters, Barnitz’s paintings emphasize the passage of time, the mesh of nature and the poise of the human spirit.

"The patterns and forms created are not only a symbol of hard work and determination, but a celebration of life, art of the human hand, and exploration up close or from afar, where the process of creation collides with a spiritual and meditative goal,” Barnitz said. “I use repetition of lines and shapes to create what I regard as a peaceful gathering of energy. These patterns can be freely interpreted as the co-dependency between everything in existence, which contributes to the changing balance of life."

Peter Barnitz, originally of Metairie, Louisiana, earned his BFA from Loyola University and MFA from the University of New Orleans. Barnitz is the founder of Barnitz Academy of Fine Arts, art director and artist-in-residence at Kenner Discovery Health and Sciences Academy, and chairman of the Kenner Rivertown Arts Council. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in more than 40 solo and group shows, including the 2016 Art Fields Exhibition in Lake City, SC, and the 2015 Exposure Nature Collection Exhibition at the Musee du Louvre, in Paris, France.

For more information on Peter Barnitz, please visit his website: www.barnitzart.blogspot.com.

***


The Upstate Gallery on Main is the newest addition of the Upstate Carolina University’s three gallery spaces and is located at 172 E. Main Street in Spartanburg. It is a dedicated art space that houses and displays the University’s permanent art collection including works by Andy Warhol, Jerry Uelsmann, Jack Tworkov, and Beatrice Riese. Along with permanent collection work the gallery presents a rotating schedule of regional and national artists’ work. The gallery is primarily run by students as part of an on going internship program where they learn how to display, research, and promote the work on exhibit in the gallery. The gallery is open to the public five days a week (Tuesday-Saturday) from 12 noon until 5 pm. More about the UGoM can be found on its Facebook page, UPSTATE Gallery on Main, or by calling Jane Nodine, Gallery Director at (864)-503-5848.