Maryann Gelula was chairman of the Art Department of the Birch Walton School, New York City.
Gelula’s abstract paintings and collages are based on an interest in the harmonic structure of color. The colors contained within softened geometric forms are strategically clustered on a field of white. Her “harmonies” usually evolve from one color establishing a single chordal theme. Working closely within a medium-value range, the appearance of a more intense color establishes an unexpected dissonance. The overall effect of these works, however, is not strident but rather a subtle moment in key transitions. These transitions among raw ranges of color inscribed with pencil and oil crayon, create a hazy image on blazing white. Her works speak of color relationships against an absence of color, creating an intellectual sense of space and abstraction.
A graduate of Mount Holyoke College and The Art Student’s League, Gelula is represented in collections of corporations and individuals.