Once in a while we all meet people who change our lives significantly. Davidjohn Lotto is one of those people. His energy, attention to detail, artistic vision and depth of soul have touched so many. His art is inspired by all of these elements that show so clearly in his body of work. As he was driven by his passion for these things and a need to heal and process the events in his life he channeled these things into his art.
Buddhism, psychology and early life experiences each informed him deeply. His understanding and appreciation for beauty in all its forms can clearly be seen as he worked with the photographic iconography of figure, form, and landscape. They also show up in his use of vintage and modern techniques of wet plate, platinum, brass Petzval lenses, digital manipulation and handmade papers.
As part of the annual exhibit schedule, Viewpoint once again presents its student show which highlights the work of dedicated students of photography throughout our region. This year's exhibit includes 32 images by 27 students. Just under 50 students entered the juried competition, many entering several images for consideration. Not only does the exhibit offer an important forum for our region's emerging photographic artists, but the process itself teaches students about the competitive world of online applications and exhibit interface. 
Ethiopia, home of the oldest humanoid fossil #AL-288, aka "Lucy", is known as the "Cradle of Mankind". Ed Asmus' adventurous journey to the Omo Valley in southwestern Ethiopia included an armed bodyguard, a Land Cruiser stuck in the mud, and a rapid departure from one village due to tribal conflicts.
Gary Wagner's Iceland project has come from many years of photographing the landscape and having taken thousands of images of the land, sea and mountains over the past forty years. After researching Iceland’s terrain Wagner felt confident that its landscape would work well with his image style and be an exciting location for creating art.
In the exhibition, The Art of Birds, David Wong presents photographs of birds not just as beautiful animals in the avian world but as creatures naturally displaying artistic form and function whether in dynamic flight or in posed portraits. Wong shoots his birds in extremely high-frame rates of capture, looking for the minute changes in poses of the head, eyes, wings, and body position which gives the viewer the most artistic view of the bird or birds as they move through space. If Wong captures a beautiful photograph of a bird sitting on a branch, he considers that merely a nice snapshot instead of creating an impactful bird story. The way a particular bird is posed against its background or captured in its movement is as important to a successful bird photograph as are the details and colors of its wings and body. Sometimes Wong photographs his subjects with minimal detail to highlight the bird’s form, suggesting brush strokes in a portrait that a muralist might paint. Other times he considers the artistic relationship of the bird to the background and the composition even more important than the avian subject itself.
This year, Viewpoint will present its annual Collector’s Edition: Exhibit & Auction as an Art Sale Fundraiser both online and in-gallery. As many of our supporters know, this fundraiser is important to Viewpoint as it assists us with end-of-year expenses. Money raised during the exhibit will help us continue to pay rent and keep our current programming moving forward into 2021. We hope you will take a moment to review the Art Sale procedures (click READ MORE below), and participate by purchasing an image from the comfort of your home.
Franka M. Gabler has been drawing her inspiration from subtle, moody, often intimate landscapes – compositions somewhere between detail/abstract and the wider view, beyond a mere record of a particular location. Such compositions allow for extracting unique scenes from otherwise well-known places, and often stimulate a viewer to think further.
When photography began its shift from chemical/metal-based processes to digital, Jeff Redman began to fear that manufacturers like Kodak and Ilford would stop making the common black and white papers he had used for decades. So, Jeff began to consider adopting one of the more “hand-made” processes that had been used in the early days of photography. After a bit of research he came to love the look of the few “carbon prints” he was able to see in museums and collections and began to seek information about the process.
A Circle of Bluebirds re-imagines the history of the artist's family in Armenia and Italy through three different lenses: a telescope, a microscope, and the artist's imagination. Photographs of the sun, Saturn, and the north star are infused with other-worldly images overlaid onto landscapes as themes of love, happiness and connection absent from the stories of Harruthoonyan's past create visions of a new earth.
Ann Mitchell is an artist who uses photography to explore space and place, actively en- gaged in creating worlds of poetic experience. After completing a BFA in Photography from Art Center College of Design, she worked as an award-winning advertising and edi- torial photographer for over a decade. She then returned to school to complete a MFA in Art from Claremont Graduate University. While there, in addition to producing her own work, she also curated several large art projects and has continued that commitment to community through the organizing of photo-related events. Shortly after graduation she joined the Art & Photography Department (now Visual and Media Arts) at Long Beach City College, where she has served as Chair and now as Digital Media Program Coordinator.
Typically, Gordon Reynolds does not preplan his photographs, nor does he work on projects, though he has several series that are constantly expanding. Mainly, he relies on luck, and a good bit of walking around. The subjects that interest him most are things from the man-made world, especially those that seem odd, mysterious, and/or timeless. While he has come to enjoy making photographs in the landscape it’s really the urban setting he most likes to explore.
