Viewpoint Exhibit History

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.

On this other earth, bluebirds, an ancient symbol of love and happiness, take the place of distant stars. A young girl swallows a star, and, butterflies weave through constellations and space dust. The Van Allen belt, a protective field between the realms of astronomy and biology, is the invisible circle holding the artist's vision together. In this belt, the creation, destruction and re-creation of energy is constantly occurring - not unlike the memories of the places where our families are born, and reborn, throughout generations.

While it cannot be seen with the naked eye, when the movement of this energy is translated into auditory waves, it sounds like a circle of birds chirping - proving that it is, perhaps, only our limited mentalities or methods that keep us from experiencing the new worlds awaiting just beyond the stories that defined our past.

Claude Duplat has been a photographer all of his life. He owned The Black and White Photo Lab in Sacramento for twenty-five years (1979-2004). During that time, he had many photography shows. Always pushing limits with his photography, manipulating his photos with an artistic eye. After years of owning The Black and White Photo Lab and his own studio he experienced burnout and stepped away from photographic projects. However, in retirement he found his way back to his passion and love for photography.

In his 30’s (mid 1980-1990’s) he had multiple shows of his photography. During those years he also had photography in the KVIE Art Auction, the Crocker-Kingsley Art Completion and photographed art for the Crocker Art Museum. His last exhibition of his 4’x5’ black and white woven photos was 30 years ago at Chan Elliot Gallery in Sacramento, CA. Most recently, his work was exhibited at the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center and Blue Line Art. This one man show includes his current work pushing boundaries with photography and photos reflecting movement through daytime time exposures. Claude feels that he has come full circle; having created large woven photos in his darkroom, and now creating his images digitally at home in his lightroom.

When Laszlo Bencze’s brother-in-law, George, was a kid in New Hampshire his father, fed up with life, would threaten the family by saying, “I’m going to Roseville.” Everyone understood Roseville, California as the end of the line, as far away as you could get. Those words always scared little George.

In 2010 Bencze moved to Roseville. He looked around and noticed that other than the giant Union Pacific rail yard, it was not much different from the little Ohio town where he had grown up. There were old buildings in the tiny downtown area around which circled neighborhoods dating from early to mid 20th century. As a teenager Bencze had photographed his hometown and exhibited the results in the local library. He decided to do the same for Roseville.

To David, Street Photography is like A People Safari.  As he roams the streets of a city, camera at the ready, David keeps his eyes open for humorous situations, intriguing expressions, ironic moments, and touching interactions.  One favorite location he’s drawn to are museums, not only for the beautiful art, but for the juxtapositions created by visitors.    

It’s exciting and personally rewarding to make a photograph -- a moment in time that is unique.  In the click of the shutter, a street image is captured – one that has never been seen before and will likely never be observed again.

“You cannot make street photography happen; it must present itself. I recognize and capture images that speak to me; to find interesting things in ordinary places.”

Umbilicus is a creative response to motherhood and the transformative nature of the female body.  The spherical form that appears in my work references the womb, the first dark hollow we inhabit. The uterus can resist or allow potential candidates for occupancy. Once occupied, the long wait ensues, and then - the inevitable surrender. The cord will be cut, but the tether remains. There is a sense of biology in my work, where organic forms meet graphic elements.  These elements allude to the pull from the outside world - the man-made world, where straight lines come from.  Some images in the exhibition began as lumen prints, born in the sun. I enjoy the playfulness of objects on a wide array of papers and the reference to historic photographic methods. I shoot film and experiment quite a bit with alternative processes.  I like when outcomes cannot be predicted, and control is relinquished to the light.

Mircea Ouatu-Lascar finds great joy being outdoors to photograph nature, architecture and  occasionally people.  Although he likes to travel, Mircea enjoys very much photographing close to home, in our local parks and around town.

Looking through the viewfinder with the lens wide open the fences disappear, the subject comes close, and for a brief fraction of time the crowds also seem to disappear leaving the impression of an intimate ‘one-on-one’ moment. Bringing the viewer into the world of animals through his lens and his heart, Mircea advocates for wildlife conservation, care and education.  Perhaps a photograph can start a conversation, which leads to awareness that grows into compassion, which in turn motivates positive action.

Join us for a unique opportunity to purchase fine art photography and support Viewpoint at its annual silent auction fundraiser, Sat. Nov. 2 from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Viewing and bidding is open throughout the month of October during regular gallery hours. See all the Auction Items HERE.

Hal Wilson has a lot of respect for talented artists who take their work seriously and dedicate themselves to their art. But this guy is not serious. He is, however, dedicated

Hal’s work has been shown in galleries in his local area. He has been accepted into the California State Fair Fine Art Exhibit. Hal writes that he hoped his large print, Séance Night, which was accepted into the 2018 State Fair, would bring people “with their noses right up close to study the detail.” His images tend to elicite this type of response. 

This month Viewpoint dedicates the Main Gallery to three artists and their solo series:

Juliet Haas’ Marionettes and Other Ghosts of Vision reflects a vintage noir aesthetic with saturation of color and realism in a modern digital capture.

Jing Lin’s series Solitary showcases nature in a innocent yet fragile grayscale landscape.

Michael Kelly-Dewitt photographs his subjects in a high resolution digital process complete with portraits, nature, and architecture.

Marionettes, © Juliet Haas

Viewpoint Photographic Art Center presents its annual Members Exhibit throughout the month of July. The strength of this annual exhibit is both the artistic quality and the diversity of the images submitted.

My artistic practice has often involved the pairing of photographs. I find that image juxtapositions can both disrupt and stimulate the normal process of “reading” the images to extend, clarify or otherwise modify perceived meanings. Indeed, many photographers other than myself have experimented extensively with image pairings, including Ray Metzger, Nathan Lyons, and fellow Philadelphian James Abbott, to name just a few (Note that I consciously avoid the term “diptych” for these pairings because – as one of my art historian colleagues explained - a diptych is a continuous image in two parts, rather than a pairing of distinct images.)

Just as the sun rises and sets each day, we engage in ritualistic practices to seek transformation. Viewing a figure in motion is to experience a duration of time invisible to the unaided eye.

Under attack, our bodies and souls seek protection and preservation. Beneath a veil of opposition, we are hidden from the light which is our life source. At times, life can seem a blur as we move across the surface of the earth. We mechanically move through the in-between spaces, trusting that the light of self-knowledge will be revealed to us. As we stay in motion, we repeat ourselves season after season, but we are never the same.

Slowly, over time, we expand to allow ourselves space for healing. Through ritual, we learn to navigate the dualities of darkness and light, stillness and movement.