All images copyright by the individual photographers

	The "Urban Art" images, so beautifully captured and displayed by Betsy Phillips, clearly demonstrate her artistic and visualization skills, as well as her superb use of design and color. The prints are for the most part, vignettes, depicting images isolated from much larger canvases.  Eliminating non-essential details, results in each image making powerful visual and artistic statements. The end-result is a series of strong, dynamic photographs enhanced by a majestic use of color and contrast, together with impressive design features, such as in the use of strong vertical and diagonal elements. By isolating details from much larger landscapes, the author not only demonstrates her artistic vision, but it provides the viewer the great opportunity to envisage what the broader landscapes may have looked like, definitely adding the element of mystery to each print, and giving the viewer a chance to broaden their own particular visual skills.   Into the Light  by Betsy Phillips This, my favorite print in the exhibition, has soaring, strong vertical elements, which dominate about 95% of the print, together with an exquisite use of vibrant color, especially the gorgeous deep pink shades on the left hand wall. There are also some important horizontal and diagonal features, and yet the eye is continually drawn to a small light- colored urn, the only curved feature in the print. The urn is dramatically placed against a deep red vertical backdrop, further enhancing the visual strength of the urn. The superb use of color is further supplemented by the deep magenta/purple hues of the right hand wall, dramatically holding all of the picture elements inside the frame so that the eye can fully appreciate the scene. The range of colors and color contrast are excellent and beautifully augment the very powerful design features. As in Betsy's other images, the introduction of a small, seemingly insignificant rounded object, namely the urn, introduces  mystery and perception  to this stunning picture. What is this light- colored "curved" element doing in a vast, intensely colored vertical universe, and why does one's eye keep going back to it? The more you look at this great image, the more you appreciate the vision of the photographer, and the more grateful that you should be to have a chance to explore the image further in your own mind.
	Spring Hillside by JFK/AJVK Of many superb images by JFK/AJVK, the one that I selected to comment on was "SPRING HILLSIDE". This montage of "unseen beauty" displays all the information for visualization by the viewer of the onset of spring. We see an abstract sky that occupies about 1/10th of the vertical frame, yet it is there because we expect it to be there.  Bare trees and branches dominate the rest of the picture, giving us a wintery picture of the landscape. Yet dramatically, we see abstract little green elements of what we visualize, must be green leaves.  It is this green inclusion that visually and mentally summons up our knowledge that Spring is here. The whole scene comes to life, Spring is bursting out, its  "commencement", flowers are popping open, and one can envision, feel, smell, a whole panorama of Spring-events. This anticipation from this exquisite impressionistic image, makes this print so memorable.  Maybe your visualization would be stronger in Rochester after going through a long dreary winter, for "Spring" visualization would be much easier to envisage.  What would one's feeling be if the green splotches of color were replaced by the reddish/yellow hues of fall leaves? This fascinating image, one that makes us look more carefully, think more intently, and above all, visualize for ourselves.
	Aailanna and Cecily by Martha Schermerhorn Guest artist Martha's exhibition is a series of silver prints depicting thought provoking portraits, in which each definitive portrait is bordered by images of both abstract and recognizable elements. The symbolism of these elements may only be known by the photographer and/or the subject in each picture, but once again, the viewer is being asked to look more intently at each print, and to visualize what connection various surround elements may have, in order to give us a better understanding of the print. The picture that I chose to review is a beautiful, soft, alluring and delightful portrait of two young girls, possibly sisters.  The closeness and positioning of the girls is so very natural, as are the joyful and poignant expressions on their faces.  The portrait by itself is excellent, warm and very meaningful, but what makes the print so outstanding, is the delicate, lace-like material surround, with the inclusion of strings of what could be pearls, threaded throughout the structure.  This background transforms the portrait into essentially one of hope and desire for the future, from childhood joy and innocence to perhaps a bridal veil, marriage, etc. The important thing is that these children cannot see this future, but maybe we as viewers or parents, or loved ones, can visualize such a future through the eyes of the photographer, Martha. Maybe she can see such a future, hence the image that is presented. This is a delightful, thought- provoking image, exquisitely seen, photographed and presented.
Peter Marr We are very grateful to Peter for his thorough review and selection for Peter's Picks.	Peter was born in England in 1935 and came to live in the United States in 1968. He worked for the Eastman Kodak Company for 34 years, retiring in 1998. During his employment and continuing into retirement, he has been an enthusiastic amateur photographer. His photography has won him numerous awards throughout Kodak and in International Salons, including 5 George Eastman Medals, which is the top honor awarded to the most outstanding picture in the Annual Kodak International Salon. He has served as a judge in both local and international photographic competitions for the past 20 years, and is a Past president of the Kodak Camera Club and past chairman of many of the Kodak Camera Club organizations. In the past five years or so, he has devoted his photographic skills and interest into nature photography, notably bird photography. His bird photography has been the subject of several one-person exhibits, the most recent being at Ding Darling NWR, in Sanibel, Florida, The Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York, and at the Webster Public Library in Webster, NY.