2014: Cyanotype Showings & Events

Atomic STEaM Photography Show

Two images from A Million Suns will be exhibited at The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque, New Mexico from November 8, 2014, through January 4, 2015. The Atomic STEaM Photography Show features images relating to science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEaM).

Shenzhen International Photography Week

All the images from A Million Suns will be exhibited at the Shenzhen International Photography Week from October 22-30, 2014. I will be in Shenzhen for the show and for all the other events that are happening around the city. Shenzhen is next to Hong Kong. The two cities are separated only by a river.

Portfolio Review Chicago Filter Festival

The 2014 Chicago Filter Photo Festival was a blast! A 5-day festival held in the middle of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, Filter had a lot things going on: continuing education workshops, portfolio reviews, artist lectures, art gallery visits, a portfolio sharing event, and more. The city itself had equally riveting things to offer: a Magritte exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago and a David Bowie show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago.

I signed up for workshops (which were all excellent), met new photography peers, and saw wonderful work from participating artists. I showed A Million Suns to five portfolio reviewers who all gave thought-provoking and valuable feedback that I will incorporate in my work. If you’ve never been to Filter, I definitely would recommend it. The entire experience was amazing.

Shooting for Diffusion Magazine’s instagram feed during the 5-day event made the experience even more special. Some of the images are shown above. Thank you to Blue Mitchell of Diffusion Magazine and Plates to Pixels for the opportunity.

MD Art at College Park

I attended the artist reception for the Maryland Federation of Art juried competition on right now from June 25 through August 2, 2014 at The Art Gallery, University of Maryland, College Park. It was a great evening! The juror, Ann Shafer, Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the Baltimore Museum of Art explained how she chose the 122 artworks featured in this exhibition from over 800 entries. It was very enlightening. A future article in the AMS Newsletter is coming up about the image selected for this exhibition. If you are in the Maryland Washington DC area, please drop by!

Rourke Art Museum

The national, juried photography exhibition show entitled, Of Memory, Bone and Myth, is now up at the Rourke Art Museum in Moorhead, Minnesota. The show opened yesterday, April 11. I included a screenshot of my profile page from the museum website. The show features 40 works by 33 artists, and it’s great to look at all the work and dream. The mythological themes explored in this show are fascinating. That’s what gets me excited when viewing a photograph–how it has the power to point to something so much bigger than what is depicted in it. A photograph is simultaneously connotative and denotative. It’s magical.

For an upcoming juried group show that starts April 11 at the Rourke Art Museum, I decided to try something different. I have been experimenting over the past year with how to best frame my prints, and I think I may have found the perfect method. 17 inches on the long edge, each image is float mounted on white art board with an overmat whose window is 1/2 inch larger than the print. As you can see, a classic black frame completes the presentation. I think this method accentuates the collaged nature of the work; there is a sculptural quality to this presentation that I really like.

I was also in a bind with the timing. My usual framing place was closed, and I had to get the framing done asap. A friend recommended going to a Michaels Arts & Craft Store. I didn’t know they did framing! John at the Michaels’ store at 3669 Boston St. in Canton was so helpful. They had software that simulated what the framing would look like with your choice of frame and mats. I’m very impressed with their service. The prints look fantastic. I’m definitely going back there again.

Imagined Realities Photoplace Gallery

The Imagined Realities exhibition catalog from the PhotoPlace Gallery in Vermont is pictured above. Sleep was selected for the catalog. I was super-excited about this one as the competition was juried by Robert and Shana Parkeharrison. They are great influences in my own work.

One thing that is so great about submitting to juried exhibitions like this one is the opportunity to see amazing work from other artists. There are a multitude of images in this exhibition that are simply amazing. For example, the enigmatic image on the catalog cover is by Benita VanWinkle entitled, Work Ethic. As the Parkeharrison’s said in their juror statement, they selected “images that grabbed our attention, gave us pause, and offered a new view into another reality, either disturbing or sublime, never boring or derivative.” One particular image that grabbed my attention was from fellow Academy of Art University student, Troy Colby. His image entitled, The Ocean Whispers, is such a wonderful and hopeful image. It’s amazing. So amazing in fact that I had to buy it! I cannot wait until I receive it and put it up on my studio wall.