The Art of Marsha Balian and Joy Broom
July – September 2023
As time passes, memories that were once concrete, full of colorful detail, and charged with emotion become narrower and their spirit more difficult to evoke. Photos and other treasured ephemera become a bridge to our past experiences and the lives of those who can no longer speak for themselves. As real as past events were and as emotionally charged as their physical reminders are, we constantly restructure our stories and re-invent our memories. The work of Marsha Balian and Joy Broom explores the connection between material reminders of the past and our instinct to create stories that fill empty spaces. Whether photos from their own family archives or materials found on a walk, their art takes the personal and makes it universal. Closely examine their work because you will find treasure there. Let your mind invent whatever past it likes.
Joy Broom layers elements of nature with specific symbols of her personal history, such as photos and old letters. She calls her artistic exploration “an expanded personal biology” and seeks to connect it with broader histories that connect us all. Marsha Balian is compelled by mystery, invention, and the power of story in her artwork. Through painting and mixed media, she explores a world that she finds “wildly entertaining and instructive.” Both artists invite us to discover our own narratives in their work and to extract threads of meaning that are both personal and universal.
Join us in welcoming these talented local artists to our office gallery at 1820 Solano Avenue in Berkeley. We are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to gallery visitors. Please call 510.528.5820 to reserve a time to stop by and enjoy their work.
Opening Reception
Thursday, August 10, 2023
5:30 – 8 p.m.
1820 Solano Avenue
Join us to celebrate the work of Marsha Balian and Joy Broom with wine, food, good conversations, and a brief talk with the artists.
Bring friends. Share the word.
Many thanks to our event partners at Solano Cellars and Ann’s Catering.
Exhibit Gallery
Joy Broom
Winter Cluster, 2012
Mixed media on canvas,
36″ x 48″ x 4.5″
$3,000
Joy Broom
White Tree: Biological, 2015
Mixed media on canvas
36″ x 48″ x 4.5″
$3,000
Joy Broom
Two Nests: Congregation, 2022
Mixed media on canvas
16″ x 20″ x 4.5″
$1,500
Joy Broom
Negatives: Bloodlines, Red Tree, 2022
Mixed media on canvas
36″ x 40″ x 7″
$2,500
Joy Broom
White Nest: Congregation, 2022
Mixed media on canvas
20″ x 20″ x 7.5″
$1,500
Joy Broom
Them, Bones, 2023
Mixed Media on wood panel
Diptych: Two 7″ x 15″ x 5″
$1,500
Joy Broom
Branching (White on Black), 2015
Mixed media on canvas
20″ x 20″ x 3.5″
$1,500
Joy Broom
Excavation #2, 2015
Mixed media on canvas
12″ x 12″ x 1.5″
$800
Joy Broom
Roberta’s Scrapbook II, 2015
Mixed Media on canvas
36″ x 36″ x 2″
$2,500
Marsha Balian
Many Moons
Mixed media on cradled wood panel
12”x 12”
$450
Marsha Balian
A Head for Numbers
Mixed media on cradled wood panel
12”x 12”
$450
Marsha Balian
Messengers
Mixed media on cradled wood panel
12”x 12″
$450
Marsha Balian
Private Notes
Mixed media on cradled wood panel
24” x 6”
$485
Marsha Balian
Reunion
Mixed media on cradled wood panel
24” x 6”
$485
Marsha Balian
Games by the Pond
Mixed Media on cradled wood panel
24” x 6″
$485
Marsha Balian
Stone’s Throw
Mixed media on cradled wood panel
13.5” x 13.5” (framed)
$550
Marsha Balian
Dots
Mixed media on cradled wood panel
18” x 12”
$650
Marsha Balian
Comma, Comma
Mixed media on cradled wood panel
16″ x 16″
$700
Marsha Balian
Mixed media artist Marsha Balian admits to difficulty following instructions (unless she really has to). She is self-taught and frequently invents her own techniques. Her work has a strong narrative quality and incorporates found objects combined with drawing and painting. Since invention doesn’t require strict adherence to rules, her art avoids what might be literal and attempts to engage the imagination of the viewer. Humor is never far behind.
Marsha Balian’s artwork has been shown throughout the Bay area, many parts of the country, and internationally. Her work is placed in the Kaiser Hospital in San Leandro and the Hayward Main Library. She has been featured in several publications, including Photo Trouvee Magazine, Woven Tale Press, Oakland Magazine, West Marin Review, and 48 Hills Magazine. Her work is included in “Collage by Women: 50 Women Collage Artists of the World'” a book published in Spain that has enjoyed huge international success. Marsha Balian lives and works in Oakland, California.
Artist Statement
I am married to spontaneity in the studio, meaning I do not plan or conjure my work in advance. I am propelled by a sense of mystery, waiting (not always patiently) to see who and what will arrive once I set out on the journey of making art. My work may begin with shadowy notions, but in many respects, it is the force of curiosity that holds my attention captive. It is a mystery to be solved, a conundrum to be settled, and I am compelled to carry on until the work tells me that it is done.
More Information at marshabalian.com
For purchasing, please email marshabalian@gmail.com
Instagram: @marshabalian
Joy Broom
Joy Broom’s work has been featured in dozens of exhibitions at a wide range of venues. Solo shows include the deYoung Museum’s Kimball Gallery as Artist-in-Residence; Stanford Art Spaces; Oakland’s The Rollup Project and Studio Quercus; the inaugural StartUp Art Fair and StartUp Small Works in San Francisco; Off the Preserve, Napa; A440 Gallery and Bank of America, San Francisco. She recently showed her work for Startup Curatorial at Yorba Winery, Sutter Creek, and a Pop Up at Storer Studio in Pt. Reyes Station. She also had solo exhibitions at Linda Hodges and Mia Galleries in Seattle and The Carnegie Art Center in Walla Walla, Washington.
Select group shows include the recent deYoung Open; SFMOMA Artists Gallery, Transmission and Live Worms Gallery, San Francisco; ShoeBox Projects, Los Angeles; Site: Brooklyn, New York; the Triton Museum, Santa Clara; Berkeley Art Center (Artist of the Month); five themed exhibitions at the Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek; Jennifer Perlmutter Gallery, Lafayette; Seager Gray’s Art of the Book, Mill Valley; Sonoma Museum of Visual Arts, Santa Rosa; and Gallery Rt. One, Vita Collage and Toby’s in Pt. Reyes Station.
Broom has been a recipient of the WESTAF/NEA Regional Fellowship for Visual Artists for Works on Paper, is a featured artist on The Studio Work blog, and her work recently has been published in the book Artists of the Bay Area (Jen Tough Gallery, Santa Fe); Photo Trouvee Magazine; and Humana Obscura. Her work is represented in numerous other private and artists’ collections.
Artist Statement
Layering elements of the natural sciences has been a constant in the way I see the world. I am exploring Memory and by extension History, combining intuitive bio-drawings with old family memorabilia. The very process of making this work—completely dismantling then reassembling edited bits of carefully ordered old photo albums and scrapbooks, cutting this stuff up, eliminating faces, drawing or painting over surfaces—feels like a safety net in recently uncertain times. The newest work is a swerve in a continuing Ancestral Narratives Series. Trees and branching still imply dualities: circulatory systems nod to family trees. The work still reflects Memory, History, and for the first time, my own Mortality. I’m now using the not-so-reliable natural world to hang on for dear life.
For more information visit joybroomart.com
For purchasing, please email joybroom@gmail.com
Instagram: @joybroomart