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News
of the current exhibit and events at Image City
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Image
City Photography Gallery
Newsletter #145 June 21, 2019
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For a webpage
version of the newsletter
Click Here
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Our Newsletter publishes during each of our
exhibits to pass along information and reviews of the exhibit,
selected images and news of participation opportunities at Image
City. Thank you for your interest and we look forward to
another great year of fine photographs and events. We hope to see you
at each of the 13 shows we produce in 2019.
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Black & White
Invitational
by Don Delong, Bill Edwards, Rick Garvia, Jones
Hendershot, Susan C. Larkin, Devin Mack, and Tom McGlynn
Current Show Runs Through Sunday, July 7
First Friday Gallery Night, July 5, 5 - 9 pm
Our current exhibit is Black & White Invitational
featuring the photographs of Don Delong, Bill Edwards, Rick
Garvia, Jones Hendershot, Susan C. Larkin, Devin Mack, and Tom
McGlynn. Their selections of photographs truly represent the art of
black and white photography at its best. Visitors are enjoying the
variety and diversity that each of the seven photographers bring to their
art.
In addition, we have exceptional photographs by two
Guest Photographers. Lisa Cook in the third of three
shows as our current Visiting Artist with a black and white study of
dancers and choreographic images. Dick Beery in the Neuberger Gallery
features his photographic passion with works of young wildlife and
aged structures.
The show also includes the work of Artists-in-Residence,
Jim Patton, Gary Thompson, and Phyllis Thompson, and Gallery Partners
Dick Bennett, Carl Crumley, Steve Levinson, Gil Maker, Don Menges,
Luann Pero, Betsy Phillips, John Solberg, and Sheridan Vincent.
Plan to attend First
Friday Gallery Night on July 5 from 5 to 9 pm.
Our receptions are a great opportunity to view the art, discuss it
with the attending artists, and to invest in their photographs. With
so many talented, exhibiting photographers, you will enjoy the range
and diversity of the show. Click
Here to see our webpage for show
details and a preview of photographs in the exhibit.
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Partners' Picks of the Exhibit
After reviewing the photographs by the Featured and
Guest Photographers in the current exhibit, partners have selected
our favorites and have written a commentary on why we made the
selection. This is a popular feature of Image City exhibits, visitors
enjoy reading the insightful comments while viewing the photos.
Sibling Rivalry
by Dick Beery
This photograph is part of the "young" series of photos
that Dick has displayed along with the "old" photos to
balance the ying and yang of nature and life.This is a very playful
image showing the mother and her young chicks. The mother seems
almost detached from its offspring, looking off into the distance,
not involved. The chicks seem full of life and playfulness. What
makes this a wonderful photograph is Dick's use of light...the chicks
are bathed in this bright light, almost shining through the chicks.
This focuses the viewers' attention on the chicks, with the graphic
shape of the mother counterbalancing them and completing a circular
composition...keeping the viewers eyes within the frame of the image.
Nature photographs can something be "just" a record of what
a particular bird or animal look like, or, like Dicks photographs,
show the interactions and gestures of nature's creations. This makes
for so much more powerful images.
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Three Dancers
by Lisa Cook
Lisa has been a visiting artist for the last several months, this is
her final exhibition and ends on a very high note.Three Dancers is a
very creative photo, employing both an interesting subject (the three
dancers of the title) and a magical "stage" on which they
perform. Details of the women are obscured, making the viewer focus
on their body positions, shapes and interactions. One of the dancer's
has a classic dance position while the other two seem to be more
sedentary, grounded. Lisa uses a texture mask very cleverly, to
achieve the dream like quality of this photograph. It removes the
dancers from a traditional stage and puts them in an almost new
dimension and place, timeless. The lack of detail in their clothing
contributes to this separation from reality.Photos like this beg to
have the viewer create a story about them....is this just a dance
performance or is there a deeper meaning? This is up to the viewer to
ponder, and there are probably a great number of different meanings
that can be imagined.
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The Bottle House
by Don
DeLong Don has a very nice collection of
photographs in this exhibit. I really like the "Cows"
and the "Umbrellas" at the beach, but I especially enjoy
the Bottle House.
One of the most important skills a good photographer possess is what
he places in the frame and what he leaves out. Second to that is how
individual elements are arranged within the frame. Don carefully
places the door and steps to the right side of the photograph. His
post processing has the door glowing as if lit from behind. The
rickety 4 steps lead up to the door. This element takes up a mere 10%
of the entire image, yet it is so powerful. The remainder of the
photograph is bottle bottoms - thus the title - and its pure
texture. A photograph is 2-dimensional, yet Don has managed to
create a contrast heavy surface with deep and rich B&W tones that
urge us to "feel" the exterior and enjoy its rich texture.
Finally, Don has employed just the right amount of negative space to
support the primary subject, the door. The space is grand and
luxurious but does not detract from the door itself. Well done.
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Villa Council Room
by William
Edwards Bill has created a beautiful series of
Platinum prints displaying the beauty he encountered in San Marino, a
former home of Napoleon. The platinum tones range from warm black, to
reddish brown, to expanded mid-tone grays that are unobtainable in
silver print. Unlike the silver print process, platinum lies on the
paper surface, while silver lies in a gelatin or albumen emulsion
that coats the paper. As a result, since no gelatin emulsion is used,
the final platinum image is absolutely matte with a deposit of
platinum (and/or palladium, its sister element which is also used in
most platinum photographs) absorbed slightly into the paper. This is
a classic process which is fitting for the subject matter. The
lighting is subtle, streaming through the windows and leaving a small
triangular mark on the carpet, which resonates with the triangles of
the carpet's design. The photograph doesn't really reveal the
paintings surrounding the top part of the chambers but doesn't
detract from the wonderful composition. Although these photos were
made in 1995, they still move the observer and make them want to
visit this historic location.
Spiraling
by Rick Garvia Welcome to an episode
of "The Twilight Zone." Rick said that his B&W
photography has become about experiencing something and documenting
the moment in a way that tells a story. Spiraling is story being told.
The dark foreboding hallway has a staircase that spirals into -
nowhere. The tormented and well-lit face in the poster seems to be
calling out to someone who is not there. Perhaps they've exited right
as the sign implores. The twisting railing leads us down (and up) the
stairs. The texture on the bottom half dozen steps is delicately
illuminated by light. All the pieces are here for a stranger than
life story. Add to that all of these clever photographic elements and
you have a solidly put together Image.
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Jeff Spevak
by Jones Hendershot Jones has provided us
with a small portfolio of images in which the tone, the lighting and placement
of the subject in each artfully create an environment that inspires
the viewer to take time to study each of the photos. Jeff Spevak is an
excellent example of Jones' work. Jeff is a local writer and reviewer
of music and other cultural events in the area. He currently writes
as a freelance writer and for his own blog, reviews for City
Newspaper, and reviews music for the local radio affiliates for NPR.
Jones places Jeff alone at a local bar (Nox Cocktail) sitting in
front of his classic typewriter with paper rolled in to begin typing.
To the left of the typewriter on the bar is a glass of wine. Jeff and
the typewriter are in focus and positioned in the lower right-hand
power point of the photo. Jeff's face, the corner of the chair and
the typewriter are on the same plane perpendicular to the camera lens
and are the only part of the photo in focus thereby drawing the
viewers eye to this circle of focus. Reading the photo from left to
right, the bottles on the edge of the bar, the small glasses with candles,
the edge of the bar and even the curvature of Jeff's body as he leans
into the bar, are parallel leading lines that allow the viewer to
linger with the rest of the photo. The blacks and whites are handled
expertly with all the tones of light between them. Jones achieves his
goal that he set for himself with this exhibit. The portrait of Jeff
Spevak is a simple photo, really. Yet, powerful in that it conveys a
shared communal experience that many find in a local well-known bar
and a writer who, as Jones comments, "creates spaces that allow
us to feel more deeply and offer counterpoint to the inescapable
hardships of the human condition."
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Malaparte
by Devin Mack Sometimes a photograph
can transport the viewer to a particular place and evoke an
atmosphere. Malaparte
is such an image. We've just come inside from the streets of the West
Village in New York. Outside it's bright sunlight, and our eyes just
begin to adjust to the darker inside. Some of the details are hidden
as our eyes adjust, but the lights over the bar and the full array of
glasses on the shelves catch our attention. Any moment, the bar
tender will look up at us with a welcome... "Sit anywhere. What
can I get for you?" The window lets in some of the sounds and
bustle of the street, but this is a place to take a break, to sit
down and enjoy a drink and conversation. The place seems comfortable.
The photographic composition helps us explore in a way that we might
do if we actually walked into the bar. "Hmmm, sit by the window
facing the street? Naugh...I'd rather sit on one of those round
tables closer to the bar." It's a photograph that seems to stop
the present moment, giving us that moment and the space to enjoy it.
It's a worthwhile visit!
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Image City Critique Group
Next Meeting is July 10 at 6:30pm
The Critique Group will meet on Wednesday, July 10th
(not July 3rd). The assignment for July is to shoot
"artful" images employing negative space. Google
"photography negative space" for many examples.. Please
contact Don Menges (dmenges521@gmail.com) if
you have any questions.
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Image City Photography Gallery, 722 University
Avenue
July
5 First Friday Gallery Night 5 - 9pm
July 7
Last day of Black
& White Invitational 2019
July 9
First day of A
Garden Tapestry by Luann Pero
July 10 Image
City Critiques Group, 6:30 pm
Image
City Photography Gallery Hours
Tuesday
- Saturday Noon - 6pm
Sunday Noon -
4pm
There
is no admission fee to visit Image City
in
the Heart of the
Neighborhood of the Arts
where our mission is to create a quality
exhibition and learning experience for
photographers and the art-loving community.
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