Nancy Lasar in two Litchfield County exhibitions










© Nancy Lasar

Nancy Lasar, from Washington Depot, Connecticut, often utilizes new technologies along with traditional printmaking in her unique, multi-layered images.

She and Inga-Britta Mills are in the exhibition "Inscripted Earth: An Exhibition of Prints and Paperworks" at Minor Memorial Library, 23 South St., Roxbury, CT from July 25 to September 9. There is a reception on Saturday, July 25 from 2-4 pm.

Also from July 25-August 23 she is exhibiting with her brother John Davis and Stephan Fowlkes at New Arts Gallery, 513 Maple St. Litchfield, CT. There will be an artists' reception from 3-6 pm on Saturday, July 25.

So if you time it right, you can go to both exhibition openings. Sounds like an ideal afternoon to me.

~Lys











A few snaps from the opening at New Arts Gallery
Photo © Mark Savoia

Tom Peterson in new members show at City Gallery, New Haven









Client Tom Peterson and printmaker Amy Arledge are featured in the new members' show called "Juxtapositions" at City Gallery in New Haven. There will be an artists' reception Saturday, July 11, 3-6 pm. City Gallery is located at 994 State St. New Haven, CT.Peterson, from Hamden, photographs the local urban landscape for its shapes and colors, not just its familiar sites. I will admit--there is some fun in trying to figure out where some of the photos were taken.

~Lys

Added 7/13--Mark took some photos at the opening... and here they are:










Photo © Mark Savoia










Photo © Mark Savoia











Photo © Mark Savoia

Vasilios Sfinarolakis at Soho Photo, NYC






"Pennamacoor"
©Vasilios Sfinarolakis

Client Vasilios Sfinarolakis is one of the winners of the 2009 Soho Photo National Photography Competition, juried by Susan Kismaric of MoMA. Soho Photo is located at 15 White St., New York, NY. The reception is Tuesday, July 7 from 6-8 pm.

Sfinarolakis is a Brooklyn-based artist with a background in film as well as still imagery. The image the jurors chose is a mysterious, traditional black and white gelatin silver print, seen above. It leaves the viewer with some interesting unanswered questions...

~Lys

Michele Muir's "Every 71 Seconds - Memories of Alzheimer's"







© Michele Muir


"Every 71 Seconds - Memories of Alzheimer's" is a black and white photo essay by Michele Muir about the lives of those affected by Alzheimer's disease. It will be exhibited at Mill Street Loft, 25 Pershing Ave. Poughkeepsie, NY from June 20 to July 31. There will be an artists' reception Saturday, June 20, 3 to 7 pm with a gallery talk, music and readings.

Muir's photographs follow the lives of people with Alzheimer's over the course of a period time--whether an afternoon, a day, a few months, or a couple of years. The images show the confusing and sometimes subtle changes that occur from moment to moment, from day to day in those coping with the disease. The relationships between those with the disease and their caregivers show both tenderness and frustration. Some of the images are metaphorical or symbolic. All of the images are infused with compassion, as Michele works for an Alzheimer's organization, and in addition, her father has Alzheimer's.

More information about the exhibit may be found here.

I printed much of the exhibit, and found it an emotional experience.

~Lys

C.A. Vanaria exhibiting with Connecticut Women Artists at the Jorgensen Center in Storrs, CT











"Stacey" © C.A. Vanaria

My friend/mentor/owner of Connecticut Photographics Catherine Vanaria will be included in the Connecticut Women Artists' 80th Annual Open Juried Exhibition from June 20-July 25.

Cathy's entry, shown above, is from her recent black and white portrait series captured using an 8x10 film camera. The behemoth 8x10 has built-in mojo, and it invites a deliberateness that is rarely present in making a digital photograph. There's an unbelievable degree of intimacy when you are that close to the camera/that close to the subject.

There will be a reception and awards ceremony on Saturday, June 20 from 2-4 pm. The exhibit is located at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, 2132 Hillside Road, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3104

In addition, Cathy is now posting her portfolios to blogs accessible here or by clicking on her name above.

Keep lookin',
Lys


Karl Decker's "The People of Townshend, Vermont" on exhibition at Sterling College











© Karl Decker

Photographs from Karl Decker's series, "The People of Townshend, Vermont, 1998-2003", will be on exhibit during June and July at the Brown Library of Sterling College, Craftsbury Common, Vermont. The black and white gelatin silver prints are 20"x20," and were printed from Decker's medium format negatives here at Connecticut Photographics by Catherine Vanaria. There will be an opening reception on June 18th at 4:30-6 pm. Driving directions are on the Sterling College website.

Decker's environmental portraits reflect his deep rela
tionship with Townshend, Vermont, the small rural town in which he has spent time throughout his life. The photographs take the pulse of the town from 1998-2003, with its changes measured against the persistence of its inhabitants. Decker is a writer as well as a photographer, and I do believe some
of the deep listening of a writer comes through in his photographs. A selection from his series is viewable on Decker's website here.

In other news... Ben and Trudie Larrabee were kind enough to send us photos from the exhibition on Nantucket. They're at the end of the post from May 20.

~Lys

Added 7/13--Karl sent us some photos from the reception, and here they are:










© 2009 Karl Decker










© 2009 Karl Decker










© 2009 Karl Decker










© 2009 Karl Decker










© 2009 Karl Decker










© 2009 Karl Decker




Edith Borax-Morrison at Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven

Client Edith Borax-Morrison, and Emilia Dubicki are featured in the two-artist show No Constraints at the Kehler Liddell Gallery, 873 Whalley Avenue, New Haven, CT. The exhibition runs from June 4-July 5. There is an artists' reception this Sunday, June 7, 3-6 pm, and an artists' talk Thursday, June 18, 7 pm. In addition, there is a poetry reading Sunday, June 28, 3 pm.

I liked this tidbit from the gallery's description of the show, "No Constraints defines an attitude, a self motivating creative directive and its results. [...] Unstressed discipline, intellectual curiosity, and a joyful compulsion to work are evident in this exhibition of abstract art."

Both artists work abstractly. Morrison's work is visionary and intricate; her drawings are "pen weavings" of "mind fibers". I encourage you to go see her work, and to meet her at the reception.

~Lys








Edith Borax-Morrison at the opening.

Upcoming, interesting, local: in the mix...


© June Bisantz

June Bisantz is featured in a show called Commentary/Herself along with Jennifer Knaus and Rachel Siporin at the Brickbottom Gallery, 1 Fitchburg St., Somerville, MA from May 28-June 27. There is an opening reception Sunday, May 31 from 3-5 pm. Bisantz's work is thought provoking, and often humorous. (Check out her website to see the very cool things she's done with public utility signage and billboards.) 

Chalk Walk Danbury Saturday, May 30 10 am-2pm on the Danbury, CT Green. "Participants turn the sidewalks of CityCenter Danbury into an artistic walkway." If you feel like participating and drawing out in the sun on Sat, check it out. There will be some live music, and music from WXCI radio. 

The Connecticut Film Festival comes to Danbury June 2-7. "6 days and nights of film, music, interactive & screenwriting, 140 films, 70 bands, 100 workshops, panels & keynotes, and lots of industry networking & parties." Last year we went to several films and events. I have yet to peruse the schedule. If there's anything photography or art-related, or just plain too cool to go unmentioned, I'll be sure to post it.

If you're coming to our little city for any event, and want a few insider restaurant suggestions, please feel free to drop a line...

~Lys


Ben Larrabee exhibiting on Nantucket, show opens May 23







"Lily, Nantucket, 2007" © Ben Larrabee


Ben Larrabee's fine art portraits will be exhibited at The Sconset Cafe on 8 Main St. in Siasconset on Nantucket Island from May 23 to September 22, 2009. Larrabee's portraits capture a rare, relaxed intimacy in the families he photographs. He considers his purpose "to reveal those fleeting, yet memorable glimpses of life we take for granted, moments every family has but rarely sees revealed in photographs."













photographs of exhibition
at Sconset Cafe
© Ben Larrabee 2009


~Lys

The New York Times: LENS

If you have not seen this new blog on the New York Times website it is worth a visit. LENS is the photojournalism blog of The New York Times, visual and multimedia reporting — photographs, videos and slide shows. A showcase for New York Times photographers, it also highlights work of other newspapers, magazines and news and picture agencies; in print, in books, in galleries, in museums and on the internet.

Bobby Grossman at Mina Gallery in NYC

Client Bobby Grossman's photographs documenting the late 70s/early 80s TV Party/punk/avant garde art crowd will be on display at Mina Gallery in NYC. The opening is this Thursday, May 14 from 7-10 pm. The gallery is located at 32A Cooper Square, NYC.

From the gallery: "Grossman had the privilege to witness the late Factory and disco days as they melted into the new wave punk explosion, and these photos tell the story ; From Fred Hughes, Bianca Jagger and Andy Warhol to William Burroughs, Deborah Harry, Jean Michel Basquiat, Glenn O’Brien’s TV Party and everything in between. He was ‘Bobby
on the spot’."

Bobby's got both traditional and digital prints in the show. I'm not entirely sure if they're all black and white, but one of the highlights (among many cool shots of the era's hipsters) is an enlarged digitally printed b/w contact sheet of Andy Warhol eating cornflakes. The repitition-with-movement and numbered heavy black border suggest a film-on-paper.

Just an aside re: the gallery--Mina is a fashion + art gallery that opened last year and features not only wall art but art/couture garments. It's a sister to the nearby Albright Fashion Library, which rents clothing for red carpet events, and both are owned by former stylist Irene Albright.

~Lys

Just a few snaps from the opening, all photos © Lys











Bobby Grossman













Art of the Northeast opens at Silvermine this Friday

This Friday, May 8, there will be an artists' reception at the Silvermine Gallery for the Art of the Northeast 60th Annual juried competition. It will be 6-9 pm, with awards given at 8 pm. We know our fine art printing clients Edith Borax-Morrison and Nancy Lasar have work in the show, among others. The show will be on display until June 5. Silvermine Guild Arts Center is located at 1037 Silvermine Rd., New Canaan.

~Lys

Upcoming Exhibitions: "Mannequins" from Harrison Judd and "Musings" from Karen Neems






"Veiled" Paris 2005
© Harrison Judd

Harrison Judd's exhibition, "Mannequins: Paris, New York, Milan", May 1-21 at the WindhamArts Collaborative in Willimantic will have an opening reception on May 8 from 5-7 pm. Judd has been photographing mannequins for many years in locations near and far.

I found what his artist's statement had to say interesting, particularly about mannequins being "both messengers of popular culture and receptacles of our projections". The latter seems particularly true: the mannequins often seem caught in moments of emotion, as we relate our own feelings to their plastic expressions, however tender or blank.

WindhamArts is located at 866 Main St. Willimantic, CT.







"Miriam"
© Karen Neems

This weekend, client Karen V. Neems' exhibit, "Musings" opens at the Mayor's Gallery in Stamford, CT. There will be an opening reception Thursday, May 14 5-7:30 pm. A percentage of sales will be donated to the Sexual Assault Crisis and Education Center.

Featured along with her paintings, collages and mixed media pieces are photographs from her "Unmade Bed" series, for which we made the archival prints. Neems captures the play of light on tumbles of bedding and clothes. From her artists' statement: "As I take these forms (the unmade beds) a step further, I have used the abstract folds of the bed sheets as a muse to lead the viewer to another place." Instead of focusing on the disorganization, we are invited to see the unmade beds as another form of artistic expression.

The Mayor's Gallery is located at Government Center 10th Floor, 888 Washington Blvd. in downtown Stamford. There is a parking garage right next to the building.

~Lys

"Fly" with Banjie Getsinger Nicholas









"Parrot Presides"
© Banjie Getsinger Nicholas


This weekend marks the opening of Banjie Getsinger Nicholas' exhibition "Fly" at the Clement Art Gallery, 201 Broadway, Troy, NY. There will be a reception Friday April 24 from 6-9pm. The exhibit will showcase Nicholas' works in egg tempera. Her medium fits her subject matter--birds and nests figure very prominently in her work, and in addition to being a nationally recognized tempera artist, she is a certified wild bird rehabilitator.

Also, a reminder that this Sunday, April 26 is the opening for the Camera Works exhibition in Ridgefield, CT, for any who are interested. See post below.

~Lys

It's Opening Season

Now that Spring is truly, truly about to arrive (I hope) in spirit rather than in name only, I can make it to more gallery shows and openings. I'm looking forward to scoping out nooks and crannies in the Connecticut and New York arts scenes that I haven't previously explored.

To that end, I'd like to encourage anyone for whom we do printing (both digital and traditional) to send announcements my way lysbeth[at]ctphoto.com, and I will do my best to post information on the blog. If I pop out to an opening, let me know if it's ok if I put a small pic on the site.











In the news here, the co-owners of Connecticut Photographics and Still River Editions, Catherine Vanaria and Mark Savoia, have both been accepted into the 2d Annual Camera Works Juried Exhibition (Juror: Nat Trotman) at the Ridgefield Guild of Artists. Catherine's piece is a 20x24 print from her recent 8x10 camera portrait series. Mark's piece is a stylized landscape. Both are black and white.

2d Annual Camera Works
April 26-May 22
Opening Reception Sunday, April 26 3-5 pm
34 Halpin Lane, Ridgefield, CT

Today looking for links, I re-remembered that a friend of mine co-authors a blog called Connecticut Art Scene, and thought I'd share that with you as well. It's a good way to keep track of the many things going on outside of my immediate local area, but still driveable. I'll post more things like that as I come across them.

Also, a few days ago I finally had a chance to visit the Gallery on Main St. in Bethel, CT. I had been hibernating for so long, I hadn't realized it was there until very recently. It shows an interesting mix of local/regional and national artists (including Barbara Morgan and Pete Turner), and both color and black and white work. I enjoyed talking with the co-owner Rory Pszenitzki, and suggest stopping in to look around.

Thanks for reading ~ Lys

NPR Story on Eddie Adams: Vietnam

We just discovered that NPR did a story on Eddie Adams: Vietnam last week. The website features a text-based story, slideshow, and audio feature by Margot Adler, along with audio from Hal Buell and Peter Arnett, who give their perspective on Adams' work as fellow journalists and contemporaries. There is also a little bit of audio from the Adams' documentary An Unlikely Weapon.

Eddie Adams: Vietnam was published in March by Umbrage Books and is also an exhibit on view at Umbrage Gallery in Brooklyn on view until April 30.

In case you missed them, our earlier posts about the book party and opening can be found here and our post about our involvement in the book and exhibit can be found here.

Off-site backups

There are now several online backup services that are offering unlimited amounts of data storage. Backing up to an external hard drive or CD/DVDs is a great first step but you have to make sure you also store copies of your data (yes, all those gigabytes of digital images) off-site, just in case of fire, water damage, lightning, theft, and other stressful things, like hard drive failure. Carbonite offers unlimited backups for $55 a year and gives you the connivence to access any of those files from anywhere in the world through a web browser. Mozy offers backup packages starting at $5 per month.

Remember, its not IF your computer or hard drive will fail, its WHEN. Been there - done that, it is not a good feeling.