Mike C. Berry is Gallery Manager at the University of Tennessee (UT) Downtown Gallery and Artist/Owner of Mike C. Berry Studio in Knoxville, TN. He has developed a unique and fascinating "relationship" with Beauford through his framing of Beauford's art for UT. He graciously provided Les Amis with an interview in which he "tells all," including how Beauford's work influences his artistic practice.
Because Berry was so generous with his responses, this interview will be presented in three parts).* Find Part 2 below.
Note that all photos and content have been approved for posting by Derek Spratley, Esq., Court appointed administrator of the Beauford Delaney Estate.
Les Amis: As a painter, you bring a unique perspective to the act of framing. How has this influenced the way you frame Beauford’s work?
MCB: I try to think how to best highlight the work with a clean and simple presentation and not attempt to “jazz” it up with stylized mouldings that are unnecessary. I always think “less is more” with Beauford’s work and what will allow the work to be the main star on the stage.
Les Amis: Among all the Beauford Delaney works that you’ve framed, which is your favorite?
MCB: I have two, for different reasons.
First is the Henry Miller ballpoint pen sketch piece. This piece is very intriguing to me because it’s basically a rough draft for a 1944 oil portrait. The sketch of Miller is on the back of a catalogue page with a print narrative about Miller on the opposite side. There is a photo of Mr. Miller standing beside the 1944 portrait posted on this blog (Jan 7, 2017).
As I understand it, the 1944 portrait is no longer available to the public or it has been completely lost, which leaves this blue ball point pen rough sketch of Miller the only remaining work from this series. I framed it in a way that either side (portrait side or printed side) can be viewed within the frame.
My other favorite piece is a blue abstract from Madrid 1955. I just love this piece because of the color, and the composition reminds me of my time spent in Madrid a few years ago. I felt very connected to this piece as I shared a strong sense of place to it, and I love the color blue.
Les Amis: As a cityscape artist, please comment on the similarities and differences in the way Beauford and Joseph interpret and portray cityscapes.
MCB: Their similarities are their use of pure color and simplication of form. Of course, Beauford pushes this much farther than Joseph does.
The biggest difference is I see Joseph as the reporter or illustrator of the cityscapes while I tend to view Beauford as the interpreter or the emotional translator of his subjects. Beauford’s work strikes me has highly infused with emotions (through use of color and line) to connect the viewer with their own narrative and emotional response the imagery he presents.
Les Amis: Joseph Delaney’s work inspired you early on. Has Beauford’s work begun to inspire you in some way?
MCB: Working closely with Joseph work definitely inspired me to look the cityscape as a subject matter. My piece, Gay Street Rainy Night, was greatly influenced by Joseph’s work.
Mike C. Berry
Today, I am still inspired by Joseph’s work and continue to look to the city for interesting compositions.
Currently I do find myself in the presence of a lot of Beauford’s work and it has pushed me to simplify form and push my palette towards bright saturated colors.
Recently I experimented with a composition using single color notes inspired by Beauford where I attempted to simplify a downtown scene in Knoxville.
Mike C. Berry
Les Amis: Do you also do framing for or have some other professional relationship with the Joseph Delaney estate?
MCB: The Ewing Gallery of Art & Architecture at the University of Tennessee was bequeathed a third of Joseph’s estate as stated in his will upon his death in 1991. Because of this gift, the Ewing Gallery has a large collection of Joseph’s works which I have had the privilege of framing, cataloguing and exhibiting.
The 2004 exhibition Joseph Delaney, Life in the City was the first professional gallery exhibition I worked on when I started at the UT Downtown Gallery. It was the gallery’s inaugural exhibit. In 2018 I worked on the exhibit Face to Face – Joseph Delaney, which focused on Joseph’s many portraits, mainly those created during his years of working in Washington Square in NYC.
*Read Part 1 of the interview HERE.
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