Still Time
ROAM Gallery

212 W. 11 Mile
Royal Oak, MI 49067

248-245-ROAM
Runs through Oct. 12. Wed-Sat 3-9pm.


If you are north of the city, check out the intimate gallery Roam. Hidden away next to a busy gas station, Roam’s bright space allows one to get up close and personal with the artwork on its walls.


On display are the photographs of Christine Stamas. Stamas uses the photographic image to conjure up emotions and contemplation. She invites the viewer to slow down and spend time with her work. The works are high contrast, blurred images of things we can almost recognize, but that is unimportant. What is important is the mood she conveys and the atmosphere Stamas imbues her work with. She titles her pieces only by month and number, allowing the viewer to read his or her own emotional response freely, not tied by words, or the specificity that representation brings.


In contrast to this stillness Julie Walsh’s ceramics leap off the wall illustrated with energetic, wordy comic book images. They exist certainly more as outlets for her writing than traditional ceramics, raising questions to slow down and engage the viewer. In one piece entitled “Thanks for the good times,” three cities are featured as if on a postcard. Denver’s image has a beautiful sunset, Seattle a computer and scooter, and Detroit a pointed gun. In “Inside the Factory”, comic book heroes race to action. The text reads that our problems can’t be solved by “science, technology, or politics.” Perhaps she suggests that our heroes or saviors must be artists.


Stop in, slow down, and devote a little time to contemplate the vision of these emerging artists. –ws