Ray Beldner is a mixed media artist whose work has been exhibited internationally and can be found in many private and public collections including the National Portrait Gallery and the Federal Reserve Board, Washington D.C., the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Oakland Museum of California, 21c Museum, and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, among others. He was commissioned for public art projects for the cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Richmond, California. In addition, he has completed many private and corporate commissions for the President Hotel, NY, Candler Hotel, Atlanta, the Royal Sonestra Chicago, Saks Fifth Ave, Bain Capital, and Ryan Associates, San Francisco.
Beldner received a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from Mills College in Oakland. He has received numerous awards and fellowships and taught sculpture and interdisciplinary studies at several Bay Area art colleges and universities. His work has been reviewed in publications including Art in America, Art on Paper, Wired, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, the Village Voice, the International Herald Tribune and the New York Times.
"My collage works emerge from a rich tapestry of artistic heritage, woven from fragments torn from the pages of art history found in books, auction catalogs, and contemporary art magazines. Influenced by the sculptural forms of Henry Moore and Jean Arp, I am captivated by the intricate shapes and textures they embody. In my deconstructive process, I unravel their shapes, piecing together a kaleidoscope of visually discordant compositions that challenge conventional perceptions. Unlike my previous conceptual projects, this work unfolds organically, each creation a dialogue between my intuition and the raw materials at hand. As I delve deeper into this exploration, the collages evolve from simple layered constructs to expansive assemblages and freestanding sculptures. The seismic shifts of the 2020 pandemic transformed my work, amplifying the intensity of colors and patterns. With each piece, I revel in the joy of invention and the complexities and contradictions of visual pleasure."
Tell us a little about yourself (where you are from) and your background in the arts.
I was born and raised in San Francisco and lived most of my life in the Bay Area. Last year, I had the opportunity to move to Dallas Texas and I relocated my studio there. I've always made art, even from a young age. I was fortunate to have had a few amazing and inspiring art teachers in my public high school and after studying painting and printmaking in Brussels for a year, I returned to the Bay Area and got my BFA from the (now, sadly defunct) San Francisco Art Institute.
A few years later, I received my MFA from Mills College in Oakland. Besides my art practice, I taught Sculpture, Intermedia, and Professional Practices in universities and art colleges around the Bay Area for almost 20 years.
What kind of work are you currently making?
After years of making conceptually based projects, where the materials and processes were dictated by the ideas, my work took a turn in a decidedly abstract and non-objective direction. That change was precipitated by some difficult life changes and a fallow period in my practice.
I got back to work slowly by making collages inspired by art historical references. Over time my collages have developed from simple layered fragments of paper to works on panels, large-scale assemblages, and free-standing sculptures.
In the studio right now, I'm working on several things at once: large scale assemblages, collages on panels, 3D collage "rocks." I like having many different things going on at once. It keeps my mind fresh and my enthusiasm high.
What is a day like in the studio for you?
I usually get up early and make coffee before I do anything else. Then I exercise for an hour, have breakfast followed by an hour or so of reading just to get me in the right frame of mind. I work pretty consistently all morning till lunch then back at it until dinner. When I was teaching, I used to start working in the afternoon and go all night till 1 or 2 am, but I just can’t handle those types of hours now!
What are you looking at right now and/or reading?
We're blessed here in Dallas with some fantastic museums and non profits, so I regularly go to see shows at the Nasher Sculpture Center, the Dallas Contemporary, and the Green Family Art Foundation, which are all within walking distance from my home.
I recently discovered the mind-blowing work of Hugh Hayden at the Nasher and I saw the fantastic Patrick Martinez show the Contemporary Reading wise, I tend toward American History; I just finished the Doris Kearns Goodwin bio of LBJ, because, well, Texas.
I'm also revisting the Tao Te Ching, which I haven't read since I was 25, and I'm trying to lean into the "doing-not doing" of its philosophy, which is acting in harmony of the natural flow of the universe. Easier said than done!
Where can we find more of your work? (ex. website/insta/gallery/upcoming shows)
Website: https://www.raybeldner.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raybeldner/
In February 2025, I have a solo exhibition at the Bridgette Mayer Gallery in Philadephia.
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