Dec 4th, 2009 through Jan 24th, 2010

On exhibit at the Myrna and Sheldon Palley Pavilion for Contemporary Glass and Studio Arts at the Lowe Art Museum on the University of Miami, is Kitchen Dreams, an exhibit comprised of pieces that remark - with tongue firmly in cheek - about overworked, overbooked, and overwhelmed Americans. Each piece has a story to tell.

Bernstein’s works of painted glass and aluminum, oil and acrylic paints, color pencil, and mixed media objects have been inspired by the wild activity at home with his wife and two young daughters. The work of Red Grooms, Jack Levine and Gary Larson also has a profound effect on Ricky’s work, along with the sit-com world of 50’s television, a time in which he was raised. Ricky also draws influence from such painters as Thomas Hart Benton, Reginald Marsh and Paul Cadmus.

His current work is often described as energetic representational painting, using a mélange of materials to compose narrative, collage-style wall reliefs with a distinct “pop-art” flavor. Bernstein’s work is widely collected throughout the U.S. and Europe, including the Corning Museum of Glass and the Museum of Arts and Design, in NYC, and the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC.

www.lowemuseum.org