GLEN RIDGE — The current show at the Ridgewood Avenue train station is 33 paintings by Verona artist Wendy Born. There are a variety of painting sizes. Three are on vinyl records and subject matter. Most are acrylic on paper, mounted on wood. The opening is Saturday, July 25, from 4 to 6 p.m..
Some of the surfaces are textured. To achieve this, Born moved the edge of a bamboo mat over the surface while the ground was wet. She said it gives the composition unity.
In the landscape “Reverie,” that of a sun setting behind a stand of trees, it works; the picture has a Van Gogh-like swirling quality. But in “Long Beach Island Rainbow Umbrella,” it does not seem to work. It puts a veil over the scene. It is as though the viewer is looking through something, but in the landscape, the viewer is looking into something. For this effect to work, it may be that subject matter matters.
Born said the effect gives unity to a painting and brings something distinctive to her work and energy.
“‘Reverie’ is just the sun setting through the trees near my condo,” she said. “I painted it in the garage. Neighbors were surprised it was from the neighborhood. You can find beauty if that’s what you’re looking for.”
Most of the work has been done since 2023, but two, in glass mosaic frames, are relatively old. Born hired a carpenter to cut the frames and she cut the glass and designed the pattern. One of them, “Lady Laranah Phipps,” was done for a compact disc cover 20 years ago.
Her three circular compositions, those on the repurposed vinyl records, she calls botanicals.
“They’re a little more free,” she said. “I’m working with colors I like. I’d love to have a show of circles.”
The bright colors overall give the exhibit a surreal quality.
“When I’m composing, I want people to step into my painting,” she said.
A number of small paintings were done at Freeman Gardens. For the upcoming exhibit opening, Born will have two more paintings done at Freeman Gardens, at night.
“The colors are dark and magical, with the garden lights strung up,” she said.
There is a collection of small paintings from Freeman Gardens and some are quite charming. Generally speaking, this show is more rewarding with a second viewing.
“That means the paintings are holding up,” Born said.
She did a series of miniatures for the Tiny Gallery, at Van Vleck Gardens, in Montclair.
“Tiny galleries are popping up on front lawns,” she said, “mostly in Montclair. There’s one in Freeman Gardens.”
Born had her youngest collector make a purchase at the Glen Ridge Arts/Eco Fair, in May.
“He came by on a scooter and asked if I accepted Apple Pay,” she said. “That was amazing.”
As a working artist, Born has discovered that people will buy prints of her paintings, a fortuitous discovery when one realizes a painting may take years to sell.
“It’s possible to make a living doing this,” she said. “It’s not easy, but it’s possible.”
She belongs to Hungry Artist, an international community of artists who meet via Zoom and she has some advice.
“As an artist, don’t go it alone,” she said. “Get the help and the marketing you need, and the support.”
Photo by Daniel Jackovino
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