Viewpoint Exhibit History

Visual & Verbal is the theme of the 11th annual juried show, TWELVE. Visual & Verbal focuses on the relationship of words to pictures, specifically to photographs. These two realms, visual and verbal, come from different portions of our brains and obviously have different roles in communication. But they are partners. The exhibit Twelve: Visual & Verbal explores that complex and stimulating partnership. The photographic subject matter and methods are wide open, limitless. However, words should accompany photographic entries in one or both of the following ways:

1. The image contains whole or partial letters, words or numbers in any language as a design element. These textual elements might appear in the original photograph, such as a street signs, or may be added to the image, for example, handwritten or digitally applied text.
2. The title extends the meaning of the photograph.

Chemigram  Methodology:

The chemigram process is an equal mix of painting, printmaking and photography.  Chemigrams are made without the use of a camera and in full light on silver-based photographic materials. And like any other medium, the chemigram's visual vocabulary is solely dependent on the innovation and imagination of the artist.

In 2012 Liz Dahler traveled to Kenya and Tanzania, on an African safari and in 2013 to Namibia, Africa, to enable networking technology and teach elementary school teachers how technology can enhance and expand learning.  Both of these experiences left lasting impressions.  This collection of images provides a close up look into the Wild Animals of Africa. You are invited to take a few moments to engage with each photo and imagine the thoughts going through the minds of these beautiful creatures.  Is the animal a ‘watcher’ or ‘being watched?’ Sometimes it’s not what the photographer sees, but what is seen of the photographer. What is the emotion you observe? Do you see a human-like expression?  Genetic comparisons of baboons and humans identify us sharing 94% of our genes. With this photo collection, Liz’s goal is to uncover the common bond so together we can help protect endangered wildlife species.

Traveling was always part of her life, and when her husband’s occupation made it possible for them to live abroad, her travel photography opportunities expanded. Armed with her camera and a ready smile, Cecilia ventured out on her own to explore her new surroundings.

Since 2007, she has lived in Republic of Georgia, Egypt, Tajikistan, Macedonia, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, and in April 2019 a short return to North Macedonia (formerly known as Macedonia or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)). In total, she has set foot on all continents and made photographs in more than 78 countries plus Transnistria, a “country” that no other country recognizes.

In summer 2018, I began asking friends, family and other participants to choose a few objects that they live with and that are special in some way: sentimental, frequently used or just interesting looking. I tried not to give them too much direction so that the participant had total control over the objects to be photographed. I then shot the objects in the room in which they exist. The backgrounds remain consistent in that the object is on a solid surface with a blank wall behind but they change in color and texture due to the style of the room.  The photographs are put into grids based on common characteristics of the owners or the objects themselves.

Emergent technologies give rise to novel art forms, yet the panoramic app installed on smart-phone cameras still awaits its artists. Responding to this conspicuous neglect, Fotographic Phictions proposes a new visual practice that bridges still photography and motion pictures. Peter Sutherland calls it cubist panoramics -- if by cubist you simply mean combining multiple perspectives in a single image.
In 2012, while exploring the panoramic app on his first smart-phone camera (a Samsung-SGH), Sutherland discovered a glitch in its Android operating system, that frees photography from the dominance of Renaissance perspective and the cardinal rule of panoramics -- not to shift the camera’s viewpoint, while you sweep it through the scene to be recorded. Doing so normally aborts the algorithm’s routine, whose early Samsung/Android version divided the sweep into eight separate stills, then stitched them into a seamless panorama.

Reece Metzger has always had an interest in photography and its role in fine art. 

A visit to Western Australia in 2016 was particularly inspirational allowing him to produce a collection of photographs of man-made and natural geography.  These landscapes are reflected in Australian aboriginal art:  themes, designs, colors, and patterns.  By manipulating selected images, Reece’s photos become abstract elements he inkjet transfers to fabric.  He stitches collages adding a three-dimensional aspect.  The result is the joining of landscapes influenced by aboriginal art expressed with Western perspectives.

The current series titled 16 Hours Ahead - Images of Western Australia is a collection of photo constructions reflecting his impressions of this land.  Reece’s desire is to share this captured atmosphere of the other side of the world.

Reece attempts to present a mystery as to how the pieces were achieved.  The viewer asks ‘How was this manufactured and with what materials?’  Each individual construction emerges slowly with the paring of desired colors and textures into an expressive and relaxing composition.

The wild landscape of the Western United States is being rapidly converted to a built landscape due to suburban development. The destructive nature of these large-scale developments immediately disrupts the ecosystems. Even after these developments are completed, they continue to destroy the adjacent environment in the wild-land urban interface due to human caused wildfires, habitat fragmentation, enhancing invasive species migration, surface and groundwater pollution, soil erosion, and pesticide impacts on wildlife. Habitat Lost: Negative Effects of Suburban Sprawl on Ecosystems, is a response to this uncontrolled ecological destruction.

The work is comprised of large 20” x 30” black and white, digital, high contrast prints of the constructed environment. Furthering the dialogue of environmental loss from suburban development, small kallitype prints on fabric, encased in encaustic wax, of the lost wildlife and habitat, are hung in front of the large black and white images. This body of work relates both to western society’s desire to replace natural land and environments with contemporary construction and developments, as well as photography’s desire to replace the historical with the digital photographic prints.

Special Presentation--FREE
Adventures in Mongolia, by Kerik Kouklis
Talk, Slide Show and Documentary Film Screening

Wed. March 27 at 6:30 p.m., Viewpoint Photographic Art Center

Join exhibiting photographer, fledgling film maker and Viewpoint Board President Kerik Kouklis for a night celebrating Mongolia. Kerik will share stories and images from his expeditions. He will also screen a 30-minute documentary he produced in 2017, “Mongolia in Winter”. 

THE EXHIBIT: For as long as he can remember, Kerik Kouklis has liked to make stuff. He discovered early on that he really like to make photographs. Taking pictures and making prints has been part of Kerik’s life ever since his dad set up a basement darkroom for him when he was twelve. Kerik would spend hours experimenting (and he says mostly failing) to make something interesting. But every once in a while, something good would result, leading him to continue my pursuit of the next good picture, the next good print.  Kerik has never been in the “image is everything” camp of photography. It’s important to him that the image takes the form of a physical object – something that can be touched, or held, or maybe even hung on a wall.

Kerik states that his job is to deliver the message, the mood, the thought, the emotion. The image is the starting place, and printmaking is the language. He makes all his prints in his darkroom, using hands-on processes — wet plate collodion, platinum/palladium and gum bichromate. These experience-based processes allow him to shape the way an image is interpreted – and they bring him the satisfaction of creating something with his own hands. To Kerik, that physical connection between maker and object confers value on both.

Lloyd Fergus, who recently passed away at the age of 99, was one of the founding members of Viewpoint.  Over many years, Lloyd dedicated thousands of hours of his time as a docent at the gallery. When Viewpoint was located in the Sacramento Museum and Archives Collection Center (SAMCC), Viewpoint’s “rent” was paid by its members working on projects for SAMCC. No one paid more rent for Viewpoint than Lloyd.  In recognition of his service to Viewpoint, Lloyd was later designated an Honorary Life Member by the Viewpoint Board.

Lloyd’s images typically came from his travels in the western United States and Canada.  He worked in all formats from 35mm to 8” x 10”, and typically printed in black and white with selenium toner to finish each piece.

"When working in the field I have no preconceived idea of what to photograph," he said. "I do not work to make a series, or a theme-connected group. Each photograph must be able to stand by itself and be complete.”