Bruce Blum has been engaged in photography since the mid 1940s and retired from the faculty of Johns Hopkins University in 1994. He began to exhibit his work in 1990 and now devotes much of his time to photography. Mr. Blum's goal in photography is twofold. First, he wishes to capture the beauty of the ordinary, and second, he desires to share his feelings about the scene with the viewer. Most of his pictures explore the interplay of light and dark in an abstracted or foreign setting; some recent works explore nature in both natural and man-made settings. As an observer, he uses classical techniques, photographs objects without manipulation, and emphasizes the medium’s ability to depict surface detail and texture. Although few of his pictures include faces, many are comments on the relationship between people and their environment.
Mr. Blum is a member of the Maryland Art League, where he is president, the Maryland Federation of Art and the Senior Artist Alliance. His work has been described in the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post. In his previous career, he was a computer scientist specializing in medial informatics and software engineering.
Solo and Small Group Shows - Galleries
- Artshowcase Gallery, Baltimore, MD, 1992, 1993
- Slayton House Gallery, Columbia, MD, 1998, 2007, 2009
- Mattawoman Creek Art Center, La Plata, MD, 1999
- Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD, 1999
- Charles County Community College, La Plata, MD, 2000
- Angelfall Studios, Baltimore, MD, 2004
- Fairhaven, Sykesville, MD, 2006-2007
- Angelfall Studios II, Baltimore, MD, 2007
Solo and Small Group Shows - Other Settings
- Howard County Library, Columbia, MD, 1991, 2009
- Borders Books, Columbia, MD, 1997
- Colonial Players, Annapolis, MD, 2000
- Gallery, Temple Emanuel, Kensington, MD, 2008
- Art Exposure - 2006: Power Technology Building (2), Annapolis, MD; Johns Hopkins University Cosmetic Center, Baltimore, MD; Muncey Building, Baltimore, MD; Ensemble Theater, Frederick, MD; Fraternity Federal Savings and Loan, Baltimore, MD; Mt. Washington Conference Center, Baltimore, MD; Gallery at Avalon, Pikesville, MD; Seven Square Café, Baltimore, MD; Goldman & Minton, PC, Baltimore, MD; Camden Court, Baltimore, MD.
- 2007: Johns Hopkins University Cosmetic Center, Baltimore, MD; Landing at Spa Creek, Annapolis, MD; Muncey Building, Baltimore, MD (2); Tidepoint, Baltimore, MD; 400 Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD; University of Maryland Student Union, Baltimore, MD; Power Technologies Building, Annapolis, MD
Group Shows, Photography
- Tartt Gallery, Washington, DC, 1991
- East Coast Artists, Harve de Grace, MD, 1992 (award)
- West Nebraska Art Center, Scottsbluff, NE, 1992
- SPE Regional Photography Exhibit, Millersville, PA, 1992
- Fort Smith Art Center, Fort Smith, AK, 1992 (award), 1993, 1995
- Washington Center for Photography, Washington, DC, 1992
- Broadway Arts Building, Ashville, NC, 1993
- Larson Gallery Guild, Yakima, WA, 1993
- Phillips Mill, Solebury, PA, 1995, 1996
- Burlington Area Arts Council, Burlington, WI, 1995
- The Print Club, Philadelphia, PA, (Traveling Exhibit), 1996
- Center for Photography at Woodstock, Woodstock, NY, 1996
- Murray State University, Murray, KY, 1996
- Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, PA, 1996 (2), 1997
- Savage Mill, Savage, MD, 1996
- Delaware Camera Club, Wilmington, DE, 1996
- Shepherd State College, Shepherdstown, WV, 1996 (2)
- Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, Cape Girardeau, MO, 1996
- Ellipse Arts Center, Arlington, VA, 1996
- Blue Ridge Arts Council, Front Royal, VA, 1997
- Spiva Center for the Arts, Joplin, MO, 1997
- Open Space Gallery, Allentown, PA, 1997
- Franklin Street Gallery, Hagerstown, MD, 1997
- Rockville Arts Place, Rockville, MD, 1999
- Three Rivers Art Festival, Pittsburgh, PA, 2000
- Washington Gallery of Photography, Bethesda, MD, 2003 (2)
- Taylor County Photography Club, Grafton, WV, 2003 (2 with 4 awards)
Group Shows, All Media
- Maryland Federation of Art, Annapolis, MD, 1992, 1993, 1996 (award), 1997, 2000, 2003(3), 2005 (award), 2006 (2), 2007, 2008 (3), 2009 (3 with 2 awards), 2010 (award)
- Art Maryland, Ellicott City, MD, 1990, 1992, 1995 (award), 1997 (2), 2000, 2008
- Baltimore Artscape, Baltimore, MD, 1991, 1996, 2000
- Art Gallery of Fells Point, Baltimore, MD, 1992 (award), 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
- Susquehanna Art Society, Selinsgrove, PA, 1992
- Associated Artists of Winston-Salem, Winston-Salem, NC, 1992
- Museum Without Walls, Bemus Point, NY, 1992
- Shenandoah Valley Artists Association, Front Royal, VA, 1993 (award)
- Rockville Arts Place, Rockville, MD, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 (2)
- Beaverton Arts Council, Beaverton, OR, 1993
- Savage Mill, Savage, MD, 1994 (award), 1995 (award), 1996, 1997
- Mattawoman Creek Art Center, La Plata, MD, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003
- Loyola College, Baltimore, MD, 1995 (award), 1996
- Maryland Art League, Baltimore, MD, 1996 (2), 1997 (2), 1999 (3), 2000 (3), 2002 (4), 2003 (3 with one award), 2005, 2006 (3 with one award), 2007 (6), 2008 (3), 2009 (4)
- Art Howard County, Ellicott City, MD, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 (2), 2000, 2003 (2), 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 (award)
- Visions Touring Art Exhibition, VA, 1996
- Harve de Grace Arts Commission, Harve de Grace, MD, 1996
- Art Institute & Gallery, Salisbury, MD, 1996 (award)
- Columbia Association Art Center, Columbia, MD, 1998
- Howard Community College, 2002
- Laurel Art Guild, Laurel, MD, 2003, 2006, 2008
- MayFair, Allentown, PA, 2003
- Columbia, Arts Center, Columbia, MD, 2003
- Montpelier Arts Center, Laurel, MD, 2006
- Senior Arts Center, Bethesda, MD, 2008 (2), 2009 (3), 2010
- Artists Gallery of Columbia, Columbia, MD, 2008, 2009
Honors, Publications, and Awards
- Best of Photography Annual, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
- Antietam Review, 1996, 1997
- Latent Image, 1996
- Center for Photography at Woodstock, Annual Auction, 1996, 1997,1999, 2000
- Purchase Award, The Print Club, Philadelphia, PA, 1996