The annual Viewpoint Members’ Exhibit, a long-time tradition at Viewpoint, is always exciting for the quality and range of photographic art it showcases. Because it gives all Viewpoint members an opportunity to showcase one image of their choosing, the exhibit highlights the diversity of techniques, approaches, and personal visions in our photographic community.
In June, Viewpoint Photographic Art Center presents in its main gallery the photographs of László Bencze in an exhibition titled Onsite: Men of Mining.
“Mining companies get a bad rap in the press,” says László. “No one wants a mine in their back yard. On the other hand everyone wants computers, TV sets, cars, cameras, washing machines, cell phones and all the other good stuff of modern culture. And just about all of that good stuff begins life somewhere in the ground.
“The people of mining work hard, safe, and honorably, taking pains to cause as little damage to the environment as possible and remediating that which is inevitable. I have enjoyed my assignments onsite and have come to admire these dedicated workers, craftsmen, and artisans who transform dirt into the raw material of civilization.
Viewpoint Photographic Art Center presents the exhibit Ancient Textures of the Sevier Orogeny by Viewpoint member Ron Williams in the Step Up Gallery in June.
The Sevier Orogeny was a mountain-forming event that affected North America along the western slope of the Rocky Mountains during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Sevier refers to the Sevier River, whose headwaters originate in the Zion National Park region. Millions of years of tectonic action, erosion of carving rivers, volcanic episodes, and glacial scraping have created these fascinating surreal landscapes. “This body of work,” says Ron, “focuses on the hidden beauty in close-ups of textures in the geologic detail”. Very little photo manipulation was applied to these images shot along Highway 9 just east of the Mt. Carmel Tunnel in Zion National Park.
In January, Viewpoint Gallery honors Gene Kennedy with a retrospective exhibition that he intriguingly calls 44 Years of Real Estate Photographs.
“For many years, I have struggled to find a single phrase that describes what I do photographically,” Kennedy states. “From nature photography to landscape photography to architectural photography to environmental documentary photography to humorous photography to Gladding McBean photography — nothing covers it all. Recently, as I turned my career energies in a new direction ... I stumbled onto that elusive phrase.”
How do visual images convey a sense of place? From the jungles of the Amazon rainforest to the icy glaciers of Antarctica to the festive streets of Venice, three Viewpoint photographers define place through color, form and gesture.
Larry Brenden brings us a world that few have experienced: Antarctica, a continent completely surrounded by ocean with a desert climate which receives less than 3 inches of precipitation annually. "Though isolated by geography, the Antarctic continent is not isolated from the ravages of Global Warming and water conservation. This environment, one of the last pristine frontiers, is extremely vulnerable to our daily decisions about energy and waste." Many travelers expect white snow and black rocks; when in fact the clean air and unpolluted environment contribute to a kaleidoscope of colors.
Dolores Frank plunged into the festive world of the Venetian carnavale, an annual celebration with roots in many traditions, from the Latin feast of Saturnalia to the Greek feast of Dionysian cults celebrating the start of spring. "People come from all over the world to display their extravagant costumes and masks. For those who choose not to adorn themselves, there are many celebrations planned which show the heart of Venice. It is a happy time with thousands of people celebrating."
David L. Robertson explored a slice of the Brazilian rainforest in 2007, venturing upriver in canoes around the town of Manaus. "In the villages, the houses would often contain a dozen or more occupants. At night, hammocks would be strung from hooks in the ceiling to accommodate all of the evening residents." Robertson came away from his experience with a renewed sense of the diversity of cultures around the world.
Three visual artists in three evocative settings. Join us for a visual exploration of place.
The Gladding McBean ceramic factory in Lincoln, California, is a living museum of architectural ornamentation from the last century and a quarter, sitting as silent witness while the factory continues to produce exterior cladding and decoration for new and old buildings using the same techniques employed here more than 100 years ago. A walk through the pottery is truly a journey into the past.
Viewpoint Gallery presents two exhibits in the Main Gallery during the month of August: Vaudeville by Dan Herrera, and Glass Works by Gary Shallcross.
In Vaudeville, Dan Herrera’s stated purpose is to create “beautiful images that engage us in mysterious narratives, at once futuristic and nostalgic.” The series combines Herrera’s childhood love of building dioramas with his fascination with contemporary science fiction. Herrera initiates each image by constructing a miniature set of found objects. “Through a series of laborious and anachronistic processes,” Herrera says, he “combines photographs of these carefully lighted sets with digital images of people and life-size props.” He uses 19th-century printing techniques in the final development steps, adding gestural effects that enrich his explorations of distinctions between photographic realism and painterly illusion.
In Glass Works, Gary Shallcross has photographed common pieces of glassware so that “the beauty of the shapes of these ordinary objects is amplified through the refractory characteristics of the glass that can only be realized through the photographic medium. The light source not only illuminates the glass but becomes subject matter itself.”
Viewpoint Gallery presents the works of local photographers Dianne Poinski and Donald Satterlee in an exhibition titled “Visions of Translucence,” during the month of September.
Translucent: permitting light to pass, but diffusing it so that objects on the opposite side are not clearly visible
Photographers Satterlee and Poinski bring their work together for this exhibit, combining the translucent effects of light as well as a similar vision. While the subject matter of their pictures may differ, it is the quality of subtle tonality, luminosity in nature, texture and simple but striking compositions that pull all the elements together to create an emotional viewing experience.
Viewpoint Photographic Art Center is pleased to present the “Intentional Photographs” of Gene Crowe in an exhibit called Small Things, in the Step Up Gallery.
Crowe been working with digital images that he calls Small Things: found objects, macro images, still life, parts, and the manipulation of light on different surfaces. This project actually began in the early 1960’s when he began exploring extremely close focusing. He has been developing skills with different cameras and printing methods ever since.
An exhibition of documentary photographs by David Bacon and Kathya Landeros about immigration to the United States from Mexico and Central America.
An experienced photographer, journalist, and former labor organizer, Bacon's stunning work of photographs and oral history documents the new reality of migrant experience: the creation of transnational communities. He takes us inside these communities and illuminates the ties that bind them together, the influence of their working conditions on their families and health, and their struggle for better lives.
Landeros, herself from a family of immigrants from Central Mexico, proposes that "If one can accept that the history of migratory policy toward Mexico has been complicated as we negotiate between our demands for labor and our need for cultural sovereignty, then we can acknowledge that the migrant communities that have developed in Mexico are a manifestation of these complexities."
Kathya Landeros: Sandra’s Quinceañera paid for with remittances
from the United States, Guanajuato, Mexico, 2008
At a time when the Sacramento area has enjoyed one of its finest autumn seasons, photographer Jerry Berry reminds us with his images where the real fall action happens: New England.
“California has a wide range of landscapes within its borders,” says Berry. “But when it comes to the spectacular variety of colors of the fall season, the New England states have no equal.... I hope that the Impressions I have chosen to display will provide the viewer a taste of what they may encounter on a trip to this area at this time of year. And for those that are personally familiar with this special time and place, I hope it takes them home."
Viewpoint is pleased to present the wildlife photographs of Michael Corlew in the Step Up Gallery. Corlew is an accomplished photographer of birds ands animals, sharing with the world his images from International trips to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Italy, Peru, Bolivia, Kenya, Tanzania, and with stateside trips to Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Colorado, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, Montana, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.
Cindy Schatz examines the lives of residents at Pine Tree Gardens, a residential care facility in Davis, California, for people with mental illnesses.
John Trotter explores the lives of patients at Sierra Gates, a brain injury treatment facility in Sacramento, California.
Viewpoint Gallery presents Charles Cramer's photographs of the natural scene. A master printer, first in Dye Transfer, and more recently, in digital processes, he is drawn to photograph primarily by the light and only secondarily by the subject.
"I search for that special kind of light that can transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. The end goal of my photography has always been to make beautiful prints. I have spent a large part of the last 30 years refining my skills not just photographing the natural scene, but learning how to make the best possible prints from these images."
In July 2012, eminent photographer and educator Rick Murai led a Viewpoint-sponsored photography workshop in Peru. Participants enjoyed an exciting two-week adventure photographing the stunning landscape, colorful people, and rich cultural traditions of the Peruvian Andes. Locations visited included Lima, Cuzco, Sacred Valley (featuring the Virgen del Carmen festival), Machu Picchu, and Lake Titicaca. The workshop provided a totally immersive experience, with ample time for intense exploration, individual instruction, image sharing, and quiet introspection.
This exhibit presents images made on that trip. Exhibiting photographers include Henry Greene, Auburn Wendover, Adrienne Sher, Barbara Summers, Mirella Santana, Bruce Gregory, Jeri Lazaro, and Rick Murai.
Two bottles, two hues, a bit of imagination and with a touch of passion this creative expression soon begins to take on a life of its own...
This exhibition is composed of 20 large color photographs by Reno, Nevada, artist Dean Burton. Burton, whose photography was recently featured in the exhibitions Altered Landscapes: Photographs of a Changing Environment (Nevada Museum of Art) and Brought to Light (Crocker Art Museum), has created a body of work that expands and comments on contemporary photographic practices and traditions. In doing so, he uses a single, horizontal viewpoint and a wide range of techniques to explore the unexpected and otherwise unexamined. In Burton’s hand, the minute and mundane are transformed into images fully evocative of the zones of earth, water, and sky. Images from his series of Airscapes offer additional equivalents to our reading of the photograph as a landscape. All are “straight,” un-manipulated images, printed with the sensitivity to tone and contrast made famous by iconic 20th century photographers of the West.
Viewpoint Gallery presents its first Cell Phone Only Exhibition during the month of October. Recently, the cell phone has become the most ubiquitous type of camera in history, used by some of the most visually sophisticated, technically savvy, and globally connected image-makers ever. This international, juried show attempts to provide some idea of the breadth and creativity being achieced with these small, portable additions to the exciting history of photographic tools.
Photos by Sean Duggan, Jean Ross, David Ruderman, and Annette Allen
Viewpoint Gallery is pleased to present the photographs of Dawn Blanchfield in an exhibition called The Price of Enlightenment in the Step Up Gallery at Viewpoint.
Dawn Blanchfield’s The Price of Enlightenment is a series of black-and-white photographs that explores provocative subjects ranging from religious topics to social and political commentary of both the past and present. “I use seemingly innocuous objects, a minimalist composition, and dramatic light and shadow to express specific or abstract ideas.” says Blanchfield. “These images are the result of my internal struggle with religion, science, and mythology; death and spirituality; human nature and inherent evil."
"After the Bubble" presents two photographers' observations of how recent job losses and home foreclosures have affected communities in California and Arizona.
Jeffrey Goggin's photographs are from his project "Superior After Dark," He shows us the effects of a copper mine closure in Superior, Arizona, where the population has fallen by more than 60 percent and its per capita income is now among the lowest in the state.
Douglas Smith's images are from his project "Scenes From Surrendered Homes.” These photographs portray homes in the Central Valley of California where the effects of recent economic turmoil appear in almost all neighborhoods.
Viewpoint Photographic Art Center proudly presents the work of Richard Murai, one of Northern California’s most accomplished and respected photographers. He has traveled all over the world in search of compelling and spiritually rich pictures.
The images from Bhutan, Laos, and Easter Island in this exhibition are a sampling of work produced over the last six years, and represent an ongoing project of documenting world spiritual sites. As Murai says, “They reflect an unfolding voyage of discovery and creative exploration that examines evidence of intense spiritual devotion and religious fervor, past and present, within unique and distinctive cultures. The act of picture making increases my understanding of the world and the final photograph provides a reaffirmation of the connections between us all.”
Rick will discuss the exhibit during the Member's Reception on Friday, February 10, 5:30-8:30 p.m. He will share his excitement, misgivings and the creative and technical resources that helped produce his latest and diverse body of work. All are welcomed!
Anne Miller loves photographing the unexpected beauty waiting to be found in ordinary, everyday things. She is especially drawn to intense color and to the mysterious nature of reflection and transparency. Botanical subjects intrigue her because of their wealth of interesting surfaces and colors, yet she’s also attracted to junk and often finds inspiration at the dump or at sites full of rusty machinery and old buildings.
Judy Yemma works with historical photographic processes, such as Platinum/Palladium, Cyanotype and VanDyke, using hand-applied techniques that connect her to her roots as a painter. Her final prints become unique with some being truly one of a kind. She is particularly attracted to curved lines and shapes, to the restful and serene, to the emotion of an image, and to the potential of putting her own twist on an image.
The October exhibit at Viewpoint Gallery will feature two photographers who create their images at night. Both reveal a silent yet menacing sense of the city as elements are carved out of the dark.
Bernhard Hartmann, a German photographer, shares his after-dark experiences in winter in the American city of Chicago, a series he calls Reluctance. His color images shimmer with light and the activity of nameless, often faceless human forms.
For Gary W. Vann, the storyline of his night photographs of the city deals with interactions of man, in various ways, upon his environment. The images serve as stage sets, appropriately recorded in black and white.
America, from the Edge features four unique perspectives on American life and landscape by photographers David Best, Mike Dikau, Sandrine Hermand-Grisel and Toni Voelker. Their works run the gamut from noir to bizarre and from Barbie dolls to the Midas Mufflerman.
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Viewpoint Photographic Art Center is the proud recipient of a SMAC Cultural Arts Award grant.
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