Inspired: Furnishings By Meg Romero (back)
Article by Becca Ramspott
There is nothing quite as delightful as finding the perfect furniture piece, the "conversation starter" that makes dinner guests stop and stare for a second in admiration, or comment on how it completes a room. Rather than limiting herself to furnishings that simply invite customary compliments in passing, Cumberland artist Meg Romero creates works that inhabit a space with a lively, physical presence, pieces someone can interact with, rather than absentmindedly sit on or enjoy from afar. Composed of bright, beautifully blended colors, unexpected materials and lovingly chosen fabrics, Romero's cabinets and upholstered benches are best viewed in the same manner as a kaleidoscope- walking around them and discovering new ways of looking at them is part of the fun. These friendly, fantastical furnishings carry on conversations- not just start them.
The public can meet Romero's quirky, charming pieces and hear what they have to say at "Inspired", an exhibition on view April 17 through May 27 at Arteco Gallery in downtown Cumberland. The show features all new work by Romero, who has won awards and sells her work internationally.
Romero draws from several sources of inspiration in her furniture pieces, which possess a unique, functional levity one admirer once described as "Queen Elizabeth meets 'Beetlejuice'." She is just as likely to spend hours looking through furniture books featuring works by the cabinetmakers in the cultural centers of Britain, China and Spain in the 1600s as she is to look out the window and admire the architecture on Cumberland's Baltimore Street. As a result, many of her works infuse designs and styles from centuries past with a colorful, contemporary sensibility. For example, three works in "Inspired" feature sky panels, much like the deeply recessed paneling seen in many provincial cupboards and armoires created by German designers. Yet under Romero's tutelage, these sky panels take on a whole new life, coupled with modern touches such as single mirrors, jaunty angles and bold black and white checkerboard patterns, all anchored in an artful arrangement of startling, colorful geometry.
Humor also humanizes Romero's furnishings. "Teacher's Pet", one particularly fun piece, includes an eager, outstretched hand and a hodgepodge of apples- a creative twist on the traditional pediment that crowns most cabinets. Three other works take the idea of a conversation piece to a literal, laugh-out-loud level-rather than standing on regular, old-fashioned wood supports, these pieces are festooned with striped legs and fairytale feet.
Have your own conversation with Romero- or one of her furnishings- during a special Arteco artist reception from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 20. Arteco is located at 60 Pershing Street in downtown Cumberland. For additional information, visit www.artecogallery.com, call Jerri Dell at 301-777-8888 or e-mail jerri@artecogallery.com.