Viewpoint Exhibit History

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...

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."

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!

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.

Viewpoint’s annual Members’ Exhibit will be on display from June 12 through July 3, 2009. The exhibit gives all Viewpoint members an opportunity to showcase one image of their choosing. The images in this show highlight the diversity of photographic art created by Viewpoint members, from traditional color and black-and-white images to prints made using alternative processes, digital manipulation, and other methods. All images are copyrighted by the artists.

Viewpoint Photographic Art Center presents the exhibit Road Trip Poetry by Dave Hennessy in its Step Up Gallery in January.

Hennessy explains that “Road Trip Poetry celebrates the extraordinary, the comical, and the sublime in an ordinary commute between Sacramento and Petaluma. With my iPhone I was able to capture what at best would have been merely a glimpse of something grand. I discovered that something grand is always nearby. I do not have to go somewhere ‘special’ or even leave my car.”

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 the exhibit is not juried and includes a single print from each participating artist, the exhibit highlights the diversity of techniques, approaches, and personal visions in our photographic community.

Arthur Drooker presents a powerful visual meditation on the cultures, conflicts and conquests that forged the New World. Covering significant ruins in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America, this exhibit offers a unique pictorial survey of the geographical, architectural and historical diversity that defines the Americas.

Lost Worlds highlights ruins that are acknowledged world wonders, little known gems and outright surprises. They include monumental temples of Mexico’s Mayan civilization, a former king’s palace on the island of Haiti, colonial churches ravaged by earthquakes in Guatemala and iconic Inca citadels in Peru’s Sacred Valley, some of the 33 sites that Drooker visited in sixteen countries. His luminous images, shot with a specially adapted digital infrared camera, expose crumbled walls, weathered facades and overgrown flora in ways most viewers have never seen.

Photographer Lewis Kemper has photographed the natural beauty of North America and its parklands for more than three decades. In travels around the world, he hones an ongoing love affair with light, harkening back to the words of the famed naturalist, John Muir, who, over a hundred years ago, said “Light, I know not a singular word fine enough for Light… holy, beamless, bodiless, inaudible floods of Light.” Kemper believes those words have summed up his life as a photographer. “Light is still important to me whether I am photographing nature or working on one of my “Photo Etchings,” a style I developed with digital techniques.”

Referring to the photographs in the show, Kemper says: “Notice the importance of the light in these images ... the light defines the image!”

In Viewpoint’s Step Up Gallery in March, Jorge Santana presents Cuba Today: Street Photography. The photographs in this exhibit were taken during a travel-study trip to Cuba in March of 2012. This was the sixth such trip to Cuba that Santana had led as a professor of Hispanic language and culture at California State University, Sacramento. “The images reflect some of the scenes of Cuba today,” says Santana. “It is a kaleidoscope of life on the forbidden island, centering on Havana and surrounding neighborhoods.”

The Edifice Europa exhibit includes images by three photographers who each portray European architecture in a distinctive manner. Linda Fitch is a traditional black and white photographer who photographs primarily at night, exploring the dark spaces we rarely stop to observe and seeking out remote places where time stands still. Jodie Hooker depicts French cathedrals in painterly "hand made" gum prints using artist’s papers and watercolor pigments. Steve Nieslony photographs castles, churches and courtyards "off the beaten path" to convey the lesser known beauty of village Europe.

Northern California native and award-winning photographer, artist Gail Parris, was raised in the country, where she acquired an enormous appreciation of nature and its beauty.  Always seeking a creative outlet she has passionately pursued photography (along with other forms of art), since her parents first gave her a camera as a child.  She has taken numerous photography and art classes.  Largely an outdoor photographer, she seeks to explore the intricacies of nature and her surroundings.