“THE ARTS SCENE: This JMOMA exhibit reflects an artist in 'Transition'”
First Coast Community
by Tanya Perez-Brennan

The artistic process requires constant exploration, so good artists regularly push the boundaries of their work.

For Joe Segal, that meant moving from the minimalist sculptures he is known for to the printmaking that had always interested him.

So, after winning a $3,500 Art Ventures grant from the Community Foundation, the St. Augustine-based artist began trying to translate his sculptures to paper. He found that his prints ended up influencing his later sculptural works.

This new body of work,"Transition: Sculptures and Prints by Joe Segal," will be on view starting tonight at the Jacksonville Museum of Modern Art in the Regional Gallery. "Activating Space: Sculpture as Environment"will open alongside Segal's work.

George Kinghorn, deputy director and chief curator of the museum, said Segal's show clearly reveals an artistic progression.

"It's a really new departure," he said. "It enabled Joe to experiment with a whole new medium. The leap from sculpture to printmaking can be vast, but for Joe it seemed seamless."

Segal found that although the artistry in the two media is similar, the mechanics are different.

"I think the process of making plates is somewhat sculptural," he said. "[But] translating sculpture to paper wasn't really . . . printmaking.

"The design of the prints comes from the relationship between the print and the paper."

Kinghorn said Segal's sculptures -- many of which use wood as a principal material -- and prints both have similar minimalist tendencies, and the artist agreed about the fundamental thread throughout his work.

"I think it all comes from the same place," he said.

Segal also said having his show open with "Activating Space"seems appropriate.

"It's about points of departure and I do feel I'm in a transitional phase with my art work."