Blackett and Guillorn photo show opens at Gallery at Still River Editions in Danbury Sat., Jan. 11

The Gallery at Still River Editions
128 East Liberty St., Danbury, (203) 791-1474
Fadeless Imagery: Light and Memory: Photographs by David Blackett and Lys Guillorn
Jan. 11—Mar. 28, 2014.
Opening Reception: Sat., Jan. 11, 4—6 p.m.

Press release from The Gallery at Still River Editions

This two-person exhibition features the photographs of David Blackett of Stratford, Connecticut and Lys Guillorn of Shelton, Connecticut. What the two have in common is their work is shot entirely with medium-format film. Blackett uses antique, vintage and plastic cameras, and Guillorn uses a Holga toy camera almost exclusively. The initial letters of the exhibition's title are an acronym for "film."

David Blackett grew up in rural Massachusetts, and studied photography at Maine Photographic Workshops and Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont. His photography is influenced heavily by coastal living in both subject matter and attitude.

David Blackett: "Audette's Balloon"

Blackett says, "My approach with photography has always been: 'I just want to go out and play with my cameras and make some pictures.' It’s what I do to have fun and to relax. I rarely go out 'on a mission' to make a statement of some sort. If I see something I like the looks of, I take a picture." The result is organic and sometimes dream-like, two qualities which Blackett's photography shares with Lys Guillorn's.

Guillorn is a lifelong Fairfield County resident who uses photography to document the otherworldly qualities she finds everyday landscapes and structures. Many of her photographs depict shadows of trees on buildings caught in early morning sunlight or later in the day, during what photographers call "the golden hour." She studied photography at Snow Farm in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, and is a photographic printmaker by trade.

Lys Guillorn: "Becket #1"

Lys Guillorn uses an entirely plastic toy camera to capture her images on black and white film, which she then scans digitally, and has printed digitally by Master Printmaker Mark Savoia of Still River Editions. "I have a digital SLR camera, but I like my Holga better because it's light and because of the softness it adds. I use Photoshop to enhance the tone and contrast, but the blurry and dark edges--that's all in the negatives. Though I like things like Instagram on my phone, I think it's cheating a bit."

The Gallery at Still River Editions has hosted national and regional photographers and artists since 1989. In spring 2011, after a brief hiatus from exhibiting new work, the gallery returned to hosting shows on a quarterly basis. The Gallery's mission is to show traditional and digital photographs and fine artwork, and to be a center of creativity and connection in the Danbury area.

Saturday evening opening for photo show at Mercurial Gallery in Danbury

The Mercurial Gallery

11 Library Pl., Danbury, (203) 417-2215

Still…

Sept. 15—Oct. 26, 2012.

Opening Reception: Sat., Sept. 22, 5—7 p.m.

Musical Performance by Lys Guillorn Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m.

Press release from Mercurial Gallery

The Mercurial Gallery in Danbury, Connecticut will be exhibiting Still…, a photography exhibition featuring Catherine Vanaria, Mark Savoia, and Lys Guillorn from Sept. 15 to Oct. 26 with an opening reception taking place on Sat., Sept. 22 from 5—7 p.m.  Vanaria and Savoia, a married couple who live in New Fairfield, are co-owners of Still River Editions and Connecticut Photographics, a studio and gallery specializing in fine art digital printing and traditional black and white film processing, and they are currently celebrating their 25th year in business.  Guillorn, who lived above The Mercurial from 2001 to 2009, has been working with Vanaria and Savoia at Still River Editions since 1998. 

Vanaria, a professor of photography at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury and volunteer archives photographer at the Danbury Museum & Historical Society, has three pairs of large black and white prints on display at The Mercurial—intimate portraits of a mother and daughter, a mother and son, and two brothers, all taken with a 1930s era 8x10 large format camera and lens.

'This body is a departure from my original portrait work," writes Vanaria in her artist statement.  "My traditional method demanded sharp focused, environmental locations mixing both available and strobe light."

"I make the eyes the most important point in each frame, letting other sections fall out of focus. I believe that the eyes are our truth-meters.  They show our secrets, desires, wants and needs even if every other part of the face is displaying the opposite."

Vanaria says she has been attracted to photographing the human face for 30 years.  She is also well-known for her series "The Boston Years," which captures performances by bands such as the Talking Heads, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and Anthrax from their heyday in the late 70s and early 80s.  "The Boston Years" is also available in book form on Vanaria's website.

Savoia, a master digital printmaker at Still River Editions, has been building his portfolio of smart and humorous photographs of "tongue-in-cheek" glimpses of New England Americana for the past six years. This body of work features almost impossibly ironic images where pops of color contrast with the familiar green-gray colors of the Northeast. Works such as "Park Your Cow Here" and "Wheel Chair Starting Line" are on view at The Mercurial.

"I am constantly looking for evidence that below the surface something is not quite right in this country," Savoia writes in his artist statement. "Through the camera's selective view, I juxtapose what is considered progress in our throwaway society against an increasing lack of taste. I am not attempting two-dimensional slapstick, rather satire laced with a few Freudian slips."

Savoia, who received an arts grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism in 2010, has shown his work throughout the country and has pieces in permanent collections in the United States and Japan.

Guillorn is an artist of many kinds; in addition to her photography work, she is an avant-folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with three solo recordings under her belt.  She will be performing at The Mercurial prior at the closing of 'Still…' on Sat., Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.

Guillorn's first group of black and white photographs from her "Route 34 Series" is on display at The Mercurial, featuring abstract triple exposures and seemingly ancient industrial landscapes, each captured with her plastic camera during her Route 34 commute between Shelton and Danbury.

"When I got married and moved to Shelton a few years ago, I was a little worried about the commute," writes Guillorn in her artist statement.  "It turns out to be a beautiful drive. I have trod Route 34 in every type of weather, and never find it boring. I wind along the Housatonic River and watch the light change every day."

Guillorn has shown work ranging from photography to sculpture throughout Connecticut and is also featured in Brief Monuments, a group photography show at the Orison Gallery in Essex, through October. 

The opening reception for Still… will include an artist meet and greet, food, and refreshments.  An accompanying music performance by featured artist Lys Guillorn will take place at the gallery on Sat., Oct. 20, at 7 p.m.

"Locally Grown" art show opens Saturday at Danbury Museum and Historical Society

Danbury Museum and Historical Society
43 Main St., Danbury, (203) 743-5200
Locally Grown Art
Jan. 14—Mar. 24, 2012.
Opening Reception: Sat., Jan. 14, 3—5 p.m.

Press release

Photographer Lys Guillorn is among the six area artists selected for the Locally Grown Artists Exhibit at the Danbury Museum & Historical Society co-sponsored by Housatonic Valley Cultural Alliance. The other artists are Jane Bennett, Eric Camiel, Barry Collins, Giada Crispiels, Randy Lagana and Honorah O'Neil. The exhibition will be on view from January 14 through March 10, 2012. There will be an artists' reception at the museum on January 14, from 3-5 pm.

The Danbury Museum & Historical Society is a new venue for the Accessible Art Project. Other venues that will be participating this year are Danbury City Hall and CityCenter in Danbury, and FrameWorks (Newtown, CT).


Guillorn (see image "Sybil's Fierce") is a fine art imaging associate at Connecticut Photographics /Still River Editions in Danbury, CT, where she has worked for thirteen years. Guillorn was a resident of Danbury from 1998 to 2009, and now resides in Shelton. She is also a singer-songwriter who performs in area clubs.