Installation image from Judith Belzer: Edgelands, 
March 28 – April 27, 2013. Image courtesy Morgan Lehman Gallery

Berkeley-based artist Judith Belzer’s solo show titled “Edgelands” is currently on view at Morgan Lehman Gallery in New York. The collision of nature and industry singularly defines our landscape here in the Bay Area, and Belzer’s frenetic aerial views capture the sense of anxious energy that defines life in the 21st century.  Viewing these paintings feels similar to watching time-lapse film of rotting fruit or tidal erosion- you can’t help but wonder and worry what will become of these landscapes in flux.

Judith Belzer, Through Lines #31 (2011), Oil On Canvas. 
56h x 56w in. Image courtesy Morgan Lehman Gallery

Judith Belzer, Through Lines #20 (2011), Oil On Canvas
. 34h x 74w in. Image courtesy Morgan Lehman Gallery

Belzer’s work is extremely iconic, clearly referencing Richard Diebenkorn’s geometric California cityscapes and Wayne Theibaud’s colorful depictions of the Sacramento River Delta. Yet where Deibenkorn and Thiebaud found calm, Belzer finds dynamic and unpredictable chaos, defining the energy and beauty of the changing landscape.

Installation image from Judith Belzer: Edgelands
. March 28 – April 27, 2013. Image courtesy Morgan Lehman Gallery

If you’re in New York, you should hurry to see the show. “Edgelands” ends Saturday, April 27th.  You can read more about it here.  Belzer’s work is also currently featured in “Against the Grain” at the Museum of Arts and Design (through September 15th) and “Drawn to Nature” at Wave Hill (through June 16th).

-Contributed by Kelly Inouye