Kramer Gallery's New Showcase Takes Viewers on Artistic Ride

The works of three of Montgomery County's grant-winning artists star in the Betty Kramer Gallery's latest exhibition, “.”

The show was welcomed on Tuesday with a free public reception at the gallery, located in Silver Spring's Civic Center. All three artists were there to greet the crowd of art lovers on hand to view their works, along with Montgomery County Arts & Humanities Council representatives, board members and Civic Center officials.

"This show demonstrates we have an incredible treasure trove of art in Montgomery County," Suzan Jenkins, Arts and Humanities Council CEO told the reception audience.

The exhibit features works by county-based artists J. Jordon Bruns, Elyse Harrison and Elzbieta ("Ela") Sikorska. All are winners of a 2010-2011 Montgomery County Arts and Humanities Council Creative Projects Grant, awarded last fall when works were also juried.

The works are done in a variety of media, including painting, drawing and hand-made paper. Fran Abrams, Kramer Gallery Curator, selected all the pieces--and artists--for this show. 

"I chose these three because their work excited me," explained Abrams.

She also wanted more people to see their artwork, Abrams said. "People need to know we have Montgomery County artists of this caliber, and it's important for us to showcase them."

Several local residents on hand seemed to agree. "I try to follow all the exhibits here," said Neville Tiller, a Silver Spring Civic Center volunteer tour guide. 

"[This gallery] is an amazing concept, amazing place," added Silver Spring resident Abdul Qawi.

One of the artists, Ela Sikorska, is a Silver Spring resident who works out of a studio at nearby . She originally studied art in Poland and received a degree from the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. Her show pieces feature a circle of faces, sculptured heads, African masks and painted tribal faces; all using paper she made by hand during her residency at Pyramid Atlantic. 

"I love this [civic center] space - especially because it's so accessible," she said.

Elyse Harrison is a life-long artist based in Bethesda, where she instructs at Studio Neptune, a fine art education program that she also founded. Her exhibit pieces include three black-and-white, four-foot square paintings of heads which illustrate her style of surrealist art. The four-foot square works were originally produced as five-inch squares. "I've always loved drawings, especially large ones-- it's exciting to see it develop," Harrison said.

Artist Jordan Bruns works out of studios at Glen Echo Park's Partnership for Art and Culture, including the Yellow Barn. He earned his bachelor's degree in Painting and Illustration from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a master's in Painting from Indiana University. In this exhibit, Bruns displays large, colorful, abstract paintings and graphite drawings on the theme of destruction and rebirth, based on images derived from working in Florence, Italy.

But Bruns says his inspiration for painting also comes from a life-threatening illness—and resulting major surgery—he underwent in 2007.

"I had a brain tumor, from a rare form of Cushing's Disease," Bruns said.  Because of the rarity of his condition, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) performed surgery to remove the tumor at no charge, he said.

"I was frightened I'd go blind. But NIH did an amazing job--for free. So I want to give back, especially to NIH." 

Bruns is taking part in a music-and-art fundraising event later this month to benefit The Children's Inn at NIH, a residential "place like home" for sick children and their families. 

His successful recovery also shows in his art, Bruns said. "As I've become healthier, the colors [in my art] have become more vibrant."

“Free Forms and Faces” continues at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room in the Silver Spring Civic Center through Friday, May 27. Admission is free.