Dorchester Center for the Arts is pleased to present two unique exhibits for the month of March. In the Main Gallery, Eastern Shore artist Petra Bernstein will be featured in a solo exhibition entitled “Nature and Beyond”. Petra’s artwork ranges from close-up photographs and paintings of flora and fauna to abstract interpretations of nature’s mysteries. Her latest series of paintings are inspired by water reflections and vary in their degree of abstraction.
Born and raised in the German countryside near Munich, Petra learned to appreciate nature at an early age. Now living on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, she is surrounded by water and marshland and uses both photography and painting to express her deep connection to nature. Petra is inspired by the rhythmic reflections and ever-changing light conditions of the Wicomico River. She balances her time shooting outdoors with the tranquility of her studio.
Petra’s latest passion is double exposure photography. This technique allows her to layer photographs and to incorporate her paintings into her photography. By merging two images, Petra invites you into a mysterious new space that is open for interpretation.
In recent years, her work has been shown in art galleries and venues in the United States and in Europe, among them at Gallery Clarendon in Arlington, Virginia, Agora Gallery in New York City, Hill Center in Washington, DC and at the Rehoboth Art League in Rehoboth, Delaware. In her home state of Maryland, she has shown her artwork at the Annmarie Arts Center in Solomons Island, Bishop’s Stock Art Gallery in Snow Hill, Art League of Ocean City, SAS in Salisbury, Circle Gallery in Annapolis and the House of Delegates in Annapolis.
In Europe, her work has been displayed in London, Bologna, Milan and Madrid. Petra has worked with Monteoliveto Galerie since 2018 on several exhibits, among them at the Spazio Tadini in Milan (2018 and 2019), Galerie Etienne de Causans in Paris (2018), Conninsby Gallery in London (2019). This year, Petra will be showing her nature inspired photography with Monteoliveto Galerie at the Exhibition ‘MG La Photographie a Paris’.
Petra earned a BFA from Salisbury University in 2007 Summa Cum Laude with a concentration in painting. Additionally, she has a BS from the University of Regensburg in Germany.
In the Front Gallery, The Dorchester Garden Club presents “Art Blooms at DCA”, an interactive exhibition of floral interpretations inspired by the work of Ms. Bernstein. Visitors will match the interpretations with the name of Petra’s piece they feel is being interpreted. Three winners will be selected randomly from the correct entries to receive a $20 gift card to Studioworks, DCA’s onsite artisan gift shop. Participating floral designers and consultants include David Adams, Julia Berman, Beth Burton, Donna Dunlap, Kay Karminski, Mari Stanley, Judy Slaughter, and Cheryl Willey.
Both shows will run through March 27. Gallery hours are Thursday noon to 6:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A virtual Second Saturday reception on March 13 will stream on Facebook live starting at 6:00 p.m., with exhibit tours and artist comments.
For more information on exhibits and activities at the Dorchester Center for the Arts, visit online at www.dorchesterarts.org and on social media, call 410-228-7782 or stop by 321 High Street in Cambridge. Programs at DCA are supported by the Maryland State Arts Council.
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