In The News
Publications & Exhibits
Opposites Attract Gallery Show, June - July 2023
Barns of Rose Hill, Berryville, Virginia
I am grateful to Shenandoah Arts Council for selecting two of my images for their juried member show called Opposites Attract hosted by the Barns of Rose Hill during June and July.
Heaven's Breath is the initial image from my "Dance of the Winter Winds" project. Just before daybreak, I made this photograph of white first light streaming out of deep blue skies, as clouds and trees trembled in the wind.
Autumn Glory showcases the beauty that comes in late fall, as maples turn brilliant red and mingle with the greens, browns, and golds of the season. The emotional resonance many of us have at this time of year is built on the knowledge that this peak part of the year is fleeting. We know that we are about to enter the gray months - so we relish the richness.
Straw Dancers
YourDailyPhotograph.com - April 20, 2023
I am delighted that YourDailyPhotograph.com chose this image for their "Under Water" call for entries. You can view the other images of the day here:
According to their website: "YourDailyPhotograph.com is a service for collectors of fine art photography, sharing a daily email of curated photographs for sale, as well as an online archive for purchase. Our passion for fine photography is unparalleled and we enjoy helping collectors find the perfect fit for their collection."
13th Annual Art and Earth Juried Exhibit, April - May 2023
Martinsburg, West Virginia
"Mysteries Within" - I am grateful to Judith Becker, the juror who selected this image for inclusion in the exhibit running from mid-April to late May at the Berkeley Art Works in West Virginia. The call requested images reflecting different interpretations of the broad theme of art and earth.
At the opening reception, she announced that my image won a Merit Award!
Becker noted that she looked for pieces of art that had that wow factor. "These are the art pieces that you want to look at for more than a glance, the ones that prompt the viewer to linger a while and be amazed at the overall impact of the art."
ICM Photo Magazine, March 2023
Dance of the Winter Winds
I was invited by ICM Photography Magazine (icmphotomag.com) to work with brilliant Scottish photographer Morag Paterson (@Mog_Pat) for a six-week mentoring program during which I created a series of 10 images and an accompanying 1,000-word article that tell the story of the "Dance of the Winter Winds." You can see all of the images and some of the content here:
The publication features ICM (intentional camera movement) images, articles, reviews, interviews, tips, and tutorials by ICM photographers and artists from around the world in a quarterly feature- packed digital format. Founder, Creator, and Publisher Stephanie Johnson had a vision to build a community devoted to ICM, including this advertising-free jewel of a publication of about 300 pages. Kudos to you, @StephJohnPhoto.
Strata II: Manifesting Through the Layers, March 2023
Verum Ultimum Art Gallery, Portland, OR
"Electricity" - I was truly honored to have this image chosen for an online exhibition created by Verum Ultimum Art Gallery after 8 rounds of jurying for a show called “Strata II: Manifesting through the Layers.”
Take a look at this amazing technology that lets you “walk through” the rooms. To find my image, go up the stairs. At some angles, there are even electric sparks visible above my image! Thank you, @JenniferGilliaCutshall!
Women in Art, April 2023
Las Lagune Art Gallery, Las Laguna, CA
"Magical Morning" - Since 2013, Las Laguna Art Gallery has dedicated a month to women artists working in a variety of media, from acrylic to charcoal to collage to photography and beyond.
Thank you, Las Laguna, for choosing my "Magical Morning" image for this exhibit. Here, arcs of white light pierce the morning's medley of rich colors as the world wakes up to the new day. We are witness to the powerful surge of dawn's energy.
Believe, Spring 2023
"Moon Sliver" - Gallerium Art Exhibitions chose this image for their fascinating exhibit called "Believe" to be showcased in their international online group exhibition and published in The Book of Arts: Believe.
I submitted this image because we believe in the power of the moon to control tides, rains, water, seasons. Here, the sliver of a moon is absorbed within a huge orb surrounded by the magic of purples and blues, with a floor of dawn’s orange light. The waning moon, shown here, represents the time for a fresh start. Perfect, I thought, for the theme.
Gallerium Shapes & Colors, March 2023
"Secret Kingdom" - Thanks to Gallerium Art Exhibitions for selecting this image for their "Shapes and Colors" competition. The theme was chosen because shapes and colors are the essential elements of creating art. Lines create an enclosed area - that is, a space that can be defined as shape. It can be in free form or geometrics. Color is recognized as it reflects or omits light. Color conveys emotions, creates moods, and provides realistic or magical effects.
They encouraged submission of abstract and figurative art "as all real and imaginary art . . . creates a bond between the artist and viewers." The selected artworks will be published in The Book of Art: Shapes and Colors series and showcased in Shapes and Colors international online group exhibition by Gallerium.
We see a series of gently rounded shapes, all bisected by curved lines, as well as a palette of golds and browns, with sprinklings of reds and greens. It suggests a magical world.
Botanical, February 2023
"Red and Gold Magic" - Las Laguna Art Gallery in Las Laguna, California accepted this image into their February online exhibition. According to their website, this image was "selected from several hundred submissions featuring stand out works from artists spanning the globe."
This maple tree glows with burnished golds and red in the strong sun of the late afternoon - capturing the most dramatic of part of autumn’s glory as it foreshadows the coming of its last days before the harsh winter sets in.
Happiness International, January - March 2023
“Butterfly Magic” – Given a year of uncertainty on many fronts, I am thankful to Exhibizone for launching a search for images designed to “extend happiness” and to emphasize joy and optimism. The artist call requested artwork inspired by “the concept of genuine happiness and joyfulness as one of the main cornerstones of well-being.”
“The world,” they expanded, “needs this valuable feeling while recovering from global lockdown.” Part of the goal of the exhibit is to “remind the world to stay happy and spirited despite difficult situations.”
By choosing this image, the exhibition helped me relive the glorious afternoon where I made this photograph. I was surrounded by golds and yellows and browns. Sunlight and warmth embraced me. And I was taken by the magic of butterflies dancing on the sand next to a cool, flowing stream. The experience was balm for the soul, joy for the heart.
Artistonish Magazine, January 2023
“Cubist Tea Party” – I was thrilled when this image was chosen to be included in the January 2023 issue of Artistonish, an international contemporary art magazine published in Canada that reaches art lovers in over 120 countries. From their website: "Our publications are available to tens of thousands of art lovers, experts, collectors and enthusiasts in both digital and print format worldwide, while the print magazine can be ordered online.”
Here, a simple white cup and teapot turn surreal, throwing their shadows all around them in vibrant colors of red, orange, green, purple, and yellow. Some of the magic was creating by using the dark mode of multiple exposure which "chews into" the shapes of the cup and teapot as they sit on a dark surface. Tungsten white balance adds to the tension and drama.
ICM Photography Magazine, December 2022
"Roots of Spring" - I am very grateful to @StephJohnPhoto and the team at ICM Photography Magazine - icmphotomag.com - for choosing my image to feature in the December issue in a section called "A World Reimagined." Other artists in this grouping are from the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and England. You can follow the magazine on Instagram @icmphotomag, on Facebook at icmphotomag, and YouTube at ICMPhotographyMagazine.
This quarterly publication is a rich, beautifully curated e-magazine featuring images, articles, reviews, interviews, tips, and tutorials by ICM (intentional camera movement) photographers and artists from around the world. The lead story in December is about @Doug_Chinnery, an amazing photographer and teacher.
I’ve gotten some lovely responses to my photograph, including these:
“Gorgeous image – your color palette radiates vitality and the joy of Spring!”
“I am sure I travelled in my lifetime to the color in the middle. I am drawn to it. It is giving
me energy.”
Emptiness 2022
"Light in Darkness" - Selected for the Emptiness 2022 exhibit from Exhibizone based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The theme of emptiness was chosen because of the range of interpretations - from kinds of sadness or even "a state with no emotion or purpose" to "the true nature of things and events" in Buddhism. The call quoted Lao Tzu from Tao Te Ching: "We mold clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that makes the vessel useful." This idea reminded me of the invitation of a high school English teacher to listen to the spaces between the notes of a Ravi Shankar song.
The theme was also especially poignant this year because of the way COVID-19 forced us into isolation and made us all face some kind of emptiness - ranging from loss of a loved one to loneliness - or, perhaps, to new ways of finding ourselves.
In my image, the magic of celestial light penetrates the darkness in small orbs around the primary orb. Golden rays shoot out from the center, piercing the blackness with hope and possibility. Imagine standing at the edge of a field, witnessing this glory, feeling the warmth of light bathe you in wonder.
The exhibit was on display for one month beginning December 10, 2022.
Far Away Places 2022
"Fantasy Fence" - Selected by Las Laguna Art Gallery, Las Laguna, CA, for their Far Away Places 2022 exhibit which ran online through the month of November. In the call for entries, they invited artists to submit works that "can be unique and exotic places that you consider 'far away.' The locations can be real or imagined."
That's perfect for me, since I created this imaginary scene from a real fence and its shadow which I superimposed over a mountain (well, a triangle) that I "made" shooting against a treed hillside in another state using tungsten white balance.
Visionaries
“New Growth Springs Unbidden” – Selected by Shenandoah Arts Council for their Visionaries exhibit scheduled to be displayed at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley through January of 2023. For this show, ShenArts requested art that is “informed by both the past and the present and turns imagination towards the possibilities of the future.”
Through multiple exposure, this image pulls together the straight lines and rich colors of a corner cherry cabinet and painted wall with an elegant, airy tree from Sky Meadows Park. So it is new growth springing from older wood.
What makes the image work, I think, is the unusual color palette of reds, peaches, golds, greens, and purples, as well as the contrast of the vertical lines with the feathery branches and leaves of the tree arms.
MAGIX 2022: Dream, Fantasy, Illusion, Magic
"Secret Kingdom" - Chosen by MAGIX 2022, an artist call encouraging "visualization of Dream, Fantasy, Illusion, Imagination, and Magic. The most important quality of art and its aim is illusion." The exhibit ran through the month of October.
The call asked for artwork that extends "our surreal possibilities, challenges our beliefs in our senses and gives birth to a dreamlike fantasy world risen from artists' magical thoughts and illusive imagination."
Secret Kingdom imagines a whole society hidden from the rest of the world - illuminated by light and fantasy.
Artistic Independence Abstract 2022
“Mystery in the Forest” – Selected by Las Laguna Art Gallery in Las Laguna, CA for their Artistic Independence – Abstract – 2022 online exhibit that ran in October. The exhibition was open to local, national, or international artists creating any type of abstract artworks.
In literature and life, lights in the forest can be signs of magic and mystery. What is the source of these lights? Are they symbols of good? What do they portend? There’s enough light here to feel safe. But there’s enough blackness to be dangerous. The scene is limited only by your imagination.
Plantarium 2022
"Golden Golden" - Chosen by Gallerium Art for their Plantarium 2022: Trees, Leaves, Flowers exhibit and publication. The online exhibit ran from mid-September through mid-October.
“Plantarium 2022 encourages artists to share their visual story of the plant world and create a unique botanical expression with their brilliant art of plants, herbs and vegetables, forests, trees, grass, flowers, and extensive usage. The planet will cease to exist without plants, and we enormously rely on the plant world and use them in diverse ways, from food and medicine to clothing, building, and fuel.”
About the image: It’s end of day. The sun is setting. And there, between the trees is the pure magic of light and play – with sparkling golden and brown tones embracing you and beckoning you to enter the moment.
Scenic 2022
"Gateway to the Valley" - Selected for Scenic 2022 by Exhibizone, an online visual art exhibition platform based on Ontario, Canada. This exhibit, running for the month of August, featured 174 images from artists around the world in a wide range of formats, including photography, mixed media, painting, and drawing, This image marries the long, wooden fences that are iconic in the Shenandoah Valley with a barn door, also a beloved symbol of the area. In the background, you can see the gentle mountains embracing the valley.
Exhibizone & Barns of Rose Hill
"Mysteries Within" - Chosen for a juried Art Show, July 5-23, 2022 at Barns of Rose Hill, a performing arts venue and community center in historic Berryville, Virginia. Housed in two early 20th century dairy barns that were fully restored in 2011, the center has a mission "to enrich lives through programs in the performing, visual, and literary arts."
Also chosen for Exhibizone - Grand Prize 2022, an online exhibition running from September 15 - November 15, 2022.
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley & Artscape 13
"Hidden Colors of Sunset" - Selected for display at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley and on a banner hanging in Old Town as part of Artscape 13. The banner remains up for the entire year. Artscape is a public art program open to artists of all ages that is meant to represent all walks of life. It is described on their website as "a group of work with diverse themes to create a shared experience of art by an entire community."
Artistonish Contemporary Art Magazine
"Dreamscape in Red and Green" - Chosen for inclusion in the June 2022 issue of Artistonish, an international contemporary art magazine published in Canada. From their website: "Our publications are available to tens of thousands of art lovers, experts, collectors and enthusiasts in both digital and print format and reaches people in over 100 countries."
There's more than a little magic in this icy cold dreamscape colored with brilliant reds and greens -- from the leaves still on the maple tree to those sprinkled on the ground. And from the greens on the path and grass and rocks to the watery mini-pond with jagged edges.
Las Laguna Art Gallery
"On the Road to Oz" - Selected by Las Laguna Art Gallery in Laguna Beach, California for the Golden: 50 and Over, June 2022 Online Exhibition. From their website: "As we grow older, the maturity and insight life has given us multiplies. The viewpoints and experiences that come with age are invaluable lessons to us all on how to life life - and live it well. This month we will celebrate the talent and wisdom of the artist over 50." Shot from a moving car (husband driving!) with a little vertical intentional camera movement, it created a scene both magical and surreal. Imagine it from the viewpoint of a child who looks up and sees possibility, wonder, and awe.
West Trade Review
"Woodland Magic" - Chosen by Ken Harmon, editor of West Trade Review, to accompany a poem in the spring issue called "Elegy to the Ivory-BilledWoodpecker," by Eric Fisher Stone. As described on their website, West Trade Review "seeks to perpetuate the work of artists both well and yet-to-t-know, simultaneously enriching our world through the written word and visual arts." Find out more @WestTradeReview.com.
612 Vineyard
Located in a beautiful part of the Shenandoah Valley, 612 Vineyard asked to display my image, "Country Door," inside their winery. They had seen it at the Firehouse Gallery as part of our "For the Love of Wood" show. I shot this old barn door embellished with healthy geraniums in the Valley - so it seemed like a perfect fit.
Shenandoah Arts Council
In January 2022, I was selected as the FeatureFridayArtist by Shenandoah Arts Council, a nonprofit arts organization cultivating the arts through promotion, instruction and exhibition. Several of my images were featured, including this one called "Tulle Skirts."
Firehouse Gallery, Berryville, Virginia
My husband and I had a joint show at the Firehouse Gallery called "For the Love of Wood," featuring his wood-turned bowls and platters, as well as my photographs of lone trees, like this image called "Maple with Snow" that was the lead image of the show.
It included photographs made in Maine of wooden boats, a pine tree shrouded in fog, and a slender maple bereft of leaves, kissed at the base by the remnants of orange and gold weeds. Other images were from the Shenandoah Valley, including a close-up of a red wooden barn, a fence line on a frigid winter day from Long Branch, a wooden country door decked with red geraniums, and a classic rope and wood swing hung from a tall tree.
In The Community
Articles & Presentations
Multiple Exposure - In-Camera and In Post-Processing - presentation to Shenandoah Photographic Society
Using Movement and Multiples to Create an Expressionistic Feeling - article for Shenandoah Photographic Society newsletter
Introduction to ICM, Intentional Camera Movement - presentation to Blandy Photo Club
Introduction to ICM and Multiple Exposure - presentation to Shenandoah Photographic Society
Donations to Auctions Supporting:
NW Works (nwworks.com) - bridging the employment gap for people with disabilities
Froggy's Closet (frog-kids.org) - providing foster and needy children with necessities
Capon Valley Ruritan Club (Yellow Springs, WV) - offering community support and scholarships to college-bound students
Trout Unlimited (tu.org) - caring for and recovering rivers and streams for the next generation
Frederick County Education Association - advocating for public education
Flora M. Singer Elementary School PTA