Parallel Lives in Art: Ben and Brooke Cameron
The
Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art at Central Methodist University will
host a new exhibition March 28 through May 11. Titled "Parallel Lives in
Art: Ben and Brooke Cameron," the show features the works of this
husband and wife team, both of whom are long-time art educators and
residents of Columbia.
Thirty-three pieces comprise the "Parallel Lives" exhibition, which includes oils, acrylics, intaglio/photo intaglio, watercolors, lithographs and charcoal drawings. In intaglio printmaking a line is incised into the surface with various tools or with acid. Then the whole plate is coated with ink. After the plate is wiped clean, the ink remains only in the incised areas. The print is produced by pressing a dampened paper against the plate.
Large-scale, brightly colored portraits of famous entertainers
such as dancer Carmen Miranda and actresses Joan Crawford, Bette
Davis and Tallulah Bankhead showcase major works by Ben Cameron,
and a number of photo intaglio/intaglio works and lithographs
represent key pieces by his wife, Brooke Bulovsky Cameron. The
latter include social and political "statement" pieces such as
"June 4, 1989,
Tianamen Square," "Refused Cubans" and "Worker's Farewell."
Other pieces include a watercolor landscape of Oregon's scenic north coast, "View from Ecola," and a whimsical photo intaglio/intaglio, "What Will We Do When They Drain the Pool," both by Brooke Cameron, and a charcoal drawing of playwright Eugene O'Neill and large oil on canvas of a provocatively dressed and posed woman titled "The Stripper," both by Ben Cameron.
The styles of the two artists present a remarkable contrast in
approaches to art and a wide range of art mediums perfected to
very high levels. Brooke Cameron is a professor of art at the
University of Missouri-Columbia, where she has been teaching
printmaking (relief, intaglio and lithography) and drawing since
1967. Ben Cameron is a professor of art at Columbia College,
where he has been teaching art in a number of mediums since
1974.
In addition to holding undergraduate and graduate degrees in
art, both Brooke and Ben Cameron are well-known Missouri artists
who have exhibited throughout the country and as well as
internationally and have been widely honored by the art
community.
