Tim Ruane wears many hats as an artist, writer, actor and filmmaker. Ruane named this current exhibit at The Village Theater, “Tell Me, Berenice Abbott,” as tribute to one of his favorite artists. “I also titled my first exhibition with her name in it,” said Ruane. “I thought it would be nice to stay associated with her, and maybe at the same time introduce her and her work to some who aren’t familiar with them.”
Inspired by the tradition of modern painting, Ruane gathers inspiration from: Matisse, the Fauves, the Post-Impressionists, Dada, Abstract Expressionism, Andre Durain, Pierre Bonnard, Modigliani, Johns, Louise Nevelson, Warhol and others.
Ruane aspires to take photography some place it has never been by editing his photographs aggressively, changing contrast, brightness and hue without hesitation. “I photograph anything my camera can find,” stated Tim Ruane. “I value pictures that are hard to take more than easier ones—action shots more than stills, for example. For technical reasons, I often have a hard time getting the color I want in portraits. I am drawn to the unconventional and the abstract. As the philosopher is interested in truth, I am interested in beauty. Good art can do many things, but it cannot bore.”
Ruane’s methods are described by Brian Aldiss, who wrote sometime in the last century: “That’s the artist’s role—to strike out always for something new, to break away, to defy, to . . . grapple with the unfamiliar.”
A graduate of Georgetown University, Ruane has taught photography at the Edmund Burke School in Washington D.C. and worked as the chief copy editor in the editorial department of The Washington Post, where he also worked as a freelance photographer. Ruane has also written and directed three Independent short narrative movies, a two-minute silent and many experimental films. He has also exhibited his fine art digital photography in London, Izmir Turkey, New York, Washington D.C. and a number of other U.S. cities. Ruane lives and works in Olney, Maryland - just outside Washington, D.C., and is currently filming and editing a short narrative film: “Sometimes the Window Is Blue.”
Works of this award-winning artist will be on display Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., as well as during public performances at the theater and also by appointment. The Gallery@VT is closed on holidays.
The Village Theater at Cherry Hill is a regional center for the arts that offers the magic of live theatre, soul-stirring music, the thrill of the dance, and the enjoyment of fine art exhibitions and events, in addition to providing a home for several cultural organizations and community groups. For more information about this latest exhibition in the Gallery@VT, please call 734/394-5300 or visit cantonvillagetheater.org.