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.

Photo show opening reception Sat., Jun. 8, at Gallery at Still River Editions in Danbury

The Gallery at Still River Editions
128 East Liberty St., Danbury, (203) 791-1474
Nearly Forgotten: Photographs by Catherine Vanaria
Jun. 8—Sept. 27, 2013.
Special CT Open House Day and Opening Reception: Sat., Jun. 8, Noon—5 p.m.

Press release from The Gallery at Still River Editions

Catherine Vanaria: "Top Hat"

Nearly Forgotten is a solo exhibition of black and white photographs by Catherine Vanaria. Catherine Vanaria has been photographing hats in the collection of the Danbury Museum and Historical Society since 2011. Vanaria's hat photographs are softly focused, and are carbon pigment printed on rice paper, making them look solid, but ethereal. The hats serve not just as artifacts, but as documents of the eras from which they originated. Their value is reinforced by being photographed. In addition to her original photography, she has also curated a selection of "salvaged" photographs of hats that tie into her own.

Catherine Vanaria, who is a resident of New Fairfield, CT is an Assistant Professor of Photography at Western Connecticut State University. She has been a fine art photographer and professional photographic printmaker for over 30 years. She is co-owner of Connecticut Photographics. Her first book, The Boston Years: The Music Scene in Photos, was published in 2008 by Laughing Camera Press, Danbury, CT. She received an M.F.A. in Visual Arts from the Art Institute of Boston, Boston, MA in January 2012.

The opening reception is part of Connecticut's statewide Open House Day. There will be refreshments and the gallery will be open from noon—5 p.m. The photographer will be giving an artist's talk at 3 p.m.

Artist's Statement:

We are all collectors. We have albums and shoeboxes of stuff that we’ve removed from our shelves and put into storage for safekeeping. But something happens when things are removed from our sight. Connections to memories kept under cover get diffused and are slowly forgotten.

For the past three years, I’ve been exploring Danbury’s history through the archives of the Danbury Museum and local tag and estate sales to build my own understanding of the lost stories of this area. I’m creating my own historical archive by collecting and photographing objects found at these locations that might otherwise be destined for the trash bin.

This on-going photographic project ebbs and flows with each new discovery. I am attempting to bring both the past and present day histories together to comment on our changing country, bringing forth the old stories that have settled this community to question its future.

Artist's reception Saturday at Gallery at Still River Editions for Chris Durante's baseball drawings

The Gallery at Still River Editions
128 East Liberty St., Danbury, (203) 791-1474
Ball Players: Drawings by Chris Durante
Through May 31,, 2013.
Artist's Reception: Sat., Apr. 6, 4—6 p.m.

Press release from The Gallery at Still River Editions

Ball Players is a solo exhibition of new drawings by Chris Durante of Redding, Connecticut. Durante uses ink and collage elements to express his nearly life-long interest in baseball, in particular the characters that inhabit its "cathedrals," the ballparks. The comic book-influenced, stylized figures convey the attitude and soul of players past and present, real and imaginary.

Durante says in his artist's statement, "I love the game of baseball, its lore, history, and aesthetic. Statistics and teams, while interesting, are secondary considerations. I am equally at home in a sold-out cathedral of baseball or watching a group of kids hash it out in an abandoned lot. It seems that our lives are spent trying to regain the innocence of that first experience when everything was new, mythic and unsullied by quotidian demands. These drawings are my attempt to get back to that place."

Chris Durante: "Ballplayer #1"

Durante teaches drawing as an Adjunct Professor of Studio Art at Norwalk Community College in Norwalk, Connecticut. Durante also owns Chris Durante Framing in Danbury, Connecticut. Durante is a member of the Silvermine Guild of Artists.

Much of Durante's work shown in recent years has been abstract. In 2012, his work was shown at Silvermine Guild in New Canaan, CT and the Haviland Street Gallery in South Norwalk, CT.

Saturday reception for photo show at Gallery at Still River Editions

The Gallery at Still River Editions
128 East Liberty St., Danbury, (203) 791-1474
Orange: Connecticut ASMP Members' Exhibition
Jan. 3—Feb. 28, 2013.
Opening Reception: Sat., Jan. 12, 4—6 p.m.

Press release from The Gallery at Still River Editions

What do you get when you challenge eighteen professional photographers to exhibit an image, with only one word as guideline: "ORANGE?"

The answer will be on the walls at Orange: Connecticut ASMP Members' Exhibition at The Gallery at Still River Editions in Danbury, Connecticut, from Jan. 3 through Feb. 28, 2013. An opening reception with the photographers takes place on Sat., Jan. 12, from 4—6 p.m., and is free and open to the public.

The eighteen pieces of fine art photography shown are from the Connecticut chapter of the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), the leading trade association for professional photographers. Connecticut's chapter of the ASMP has a membership of around 100 photographers at all stages of their careers, and offers programming including speakers, seminars, and ongoing small groups that promote business and community within the profession.

Donna Callighan: "
Susie's Sizzling Scheffleras IV"

 

Gale Zucker, a commercial and editorial location photographer based in Branford who is also a board member of CT ASMP, co-chaired the exhibit event with chapter Vice President Jane Shauck, of West Hartford. Zucker said of the exhibit, "Like most ASMP members, I create photography to communicate a client's message. This was a fun break from business—a busman's holiday, really—to create images for exhibit as fine art."

The photographers participating are: Nikki Alekson (Wethersfield, Web), Rich Pomerantz (Washington Depot, Web), Christine Chiocchio (Branford, Web), Jim Fiora (Branford, Web), Richard Freeda (Stamford, Web), Carl Vernlund (Berlin, Web), Liz Calvi (West Hartford, Web), Edwina Stevenson (Branford, Web), Donna Callighan (Stamford, Web), Christopher Beauchamp (West Haven, Web), Gale Zucker (Branford), Michael Garner (Middletown, Web), Ronald L. Glassman (Stamford, Web), Barry Hyman (Westport, Web), Jane Shauck (West Hartford), Phil Nelson (Stamford, Web), Peter Wnek (Meriden, Web), and Pam Rouleau (Wilton, Web).

When asked, "Why orange?," Zucker replied, "We wanted a theme that was broad enough to be interpreted in many ways. With January being a month of cold blue light, we went to the other end of the spectrum, and chose orange."

Affordable Art photo show opens Saturday at Gallery at Still River Editions in Danbury

The Gallery at Still River Editions
128 East Liberty St., Danbury, (203) 791-1474 
2nd Annual Affordable Art Exhibition: Photography
Oct. 6—Dec. 21, 2012. Opening Reception: Sat., Oct. 6, 4—6 p.m.

Press release from The Gallery at Still River Editions

The Gallery at Still River Editions is pleased to announce its second Affordable Art Exhibition—an invitational group exhibition of archival digital prints of photographs by 16 Connecticut artists, and one artist from New Jersey. The exhibit takes place from Oct. 6 through Dec. 21, 2012. with an opening reception on Sat., Oct. 6, 2012 from 4—6 p.m. An opening reception will be held at the gallery on Saturday, October 6, 2012 from 4—6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The photographers are Shona Curtis (New Milford), Paul Berger (Newtown), David Blackett (Stratford), Garry Burdick (Southbury), Karl Decker (Monroe), Tony Donovan (Ivoryton), David Haislip (Danbury), Keith Johnson (Hamden, see image), Paul Jones (New Britain), Ben Larrabee (Darien), Jay Misencik (Monroe), Karen Neems (Stamford), Ann Reeves (Redding), Michele Russell (Stamford), Graham Scott (Deep River), Marko Susla (Edison, NJ), and Dennis Yates (Woodbury).

The photographs were archivally printed by Still River Editions. Each is sized at 16"x20" and priced at $100. Last year's exhibition featured print reproductions of work by 14 fine artists who work in a range of media including painting, printmaking, and drawing. This year's focus is on photography.

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 prints of photographs and fine artwork, and to be a center of creativity and connection in the Danbury area.

Saturday reception for show of Boffi prints at Gallery at Still River Editions in Danbury

The Gallery at Still River Editions
128 East Liberty St., Danbury, (203) 791-1474
Orientation: Selected Works by Bernard Boffi
Through Sept. 28, 2012.
Opening Reception: Sat., July 14, 4—6 p.m.

Press release from Gallery at Still River Editions

Orientation is a solo exhibition of archival digital fine art prints by Bernard Boffi, whose monograph of the same name was published in 2010. In the foreword to the book, the critic Donald Kuspit describes Bernard Boffi’s prints as “masterpieces of what might be called expressionistic surrealism.”

The prints included in the exhibit Orientation are classic prints based on Boffi’s work as a painter, and stamp prints, which are collage works he says are "in the manner of Robert Rauschenberg that use postage stamps as elements like those in a still life." His classic prints "have to do with things in nature that are invisible. Natural phenomena—like the idea of polarity—is something that we know but we can’t see, and is used for us to navigate through time and space."

From his introduction to Orientation: "I try to construct works that relay the process of spontaneity in the works’ 'intention.' Between events in one’s life and the formal requirements of expression, one attempts to 'find' what cannot be seen, or metaphorically constructed. Hopefully this is an 'orientation' in which the viewer can participate."

Bernard Boffi was born in Greenwich Village in New York City in 1943. He attended the School of Visual Arts and graduated in 1966. The same year, he married the artist Ingrid Soltner. In 1967, he worked on his first portfolio of paintings when he and Soltner moved to Germany, where they spent a year traveling. Upon returning to New York City, they lived on 2nd St. next to Claes Oldenburg’s famous storefront, a setting for early performance art and the film "Hippodrome Hardware." This fostered Boffi’s interest in Avant-garde film; he began making films in the early 70s into the early 80s. The peak creation of this period was Boffi's film "Photoplays" which the filmmaker Kenneth Anger described as "deliciously dangerous." Boffi was one of the founders of one of the first alternative schools in the country where he developed an art program based on the Avant-garde in NYC. Boffi became an early adopter of digital printmaking. He has two sons, Oliver and Andreas, and now maintains a studio in Kent, NY.

The exhibition will be on display through Sept. 28. There will be an artist's reception on Sat., July 14, from 4—6 p.m.

Opening reception Saturday at Gallery at Still River Editions

The Gallery at Still River Editions
128 East Liberty St., Danbury, (203) 791-1474
Gene Gort: Intellectual Property
Through June 29, 2012.
Opening Reception: Sat., Apr. 21, 4—6 p.m.

Press release

The exhibition Intellectual Property at the Gallery at Still River Editions features archival digital print editions of new work by multi-disciplinary artist Gene Gort. His new series reveals a hidden beauty that emerges from his interaction with the technology meant to keep people from illegally copying movies. Some of the prints have elements that look familiar, while others are pure geometric abstracts.

Gort says of the project in his artist's statement:

Intellectual Property focuses on the visual noise generated from attempting to extract video from copyright encrypted commercial DVD's. As an educator who uses video clips as a mainstay of my classroom practice, I am always showing samples from various sources.

Recently, while attempting to extract sequences from mainstream movies, I was struck by the endless variation of intentional visual noise this process generates in order to keep me and everyone else from illegally copying movies. Through various encoding and decoding software, I found that the variability and randomness of the encryption algorithms produced remarkably unpredictable distortions and abstractions of the images. So much so that it was nearly impossible to get the same results twice.

The images in this series are screen-grabs from this process; a kind of performance that I do responding to the real-time events I am watching on screen. The titles are an ironic pairing of 'intellectual property' and the film title, like 'Stolen', 'Catch Me If You Can', 'Precious', 'Babel' or 'Gone with the Wind'. The work has nothing to do with plot or characters depicted in the movies nor do they mimic any of the imagery or scenes.

Gene Gort is a visual artist whose artistic practice is concerned with making the ordinary significant. He is keenly aware of the role of whatever medium he uses in this process be it video production, installation, digital printmaking or multi-media performance.


The exhibition will be on display through June 29. There will be an artist's reception on Sat., Apr. 21, from 4—6 p.m.

Vito Pasquale photo show on view at Gallery at Still River Editions through March

The Gallery at Still River Editions
128 East Liberty St., Danbury, (203) 791-1474
Fourteen Threadless Needles: Photographs by Vito Pasquale
Through Mar. 30, 2012.

Press release

I missed posting this before this past Saturday's opening but still wanted to posat npotice of this show.

Vito Pasquale is a photographer and writer from Mount Kisco, NY. He is one of those people who, upon retiring from the full-time job he’d done in corporate America for almost thirty years, began to “peek down, as Frost would call it, 'the road not taken.'" In 2008, Pasquale returned to writing after a long hiatus, and in 2009 he began taking photographs that reflected some of the themes in his writing. His book of poetry, Fourteen Threadless Needles, was published in 2011.

Many of Pasquale’s photographs are abstracts and photo-manipulations that go beyond taking the world at face value. In his poem, "(Somewhere) After Silence (and) Before Regret," Pasquale refers to “…the surprisingly elastic properties of a dream.” The photographs dance around that dream-state in the everyday.

Pasquale says about his photographs, "I believe it is healthy to have a casual disregard for authority. In some cases it might even be necessary to have a determined disregard—please don’t tell my kids. In any case, the sky that is saturated and yellow, the off-kilter street scene, the blackened hills, the something there is that doesn’t love a happy ending, these are the approaches that I take. I believe in the pretty picture, but only if it’s very, very pretty, which means it’s probably a flower and the bloom is fading away."

Included in the show are several photographs that relate to Pasquale’s history in the Danbury area. He grew up in Mount Kisko, NY and his father worked in Danbury until 1966 at a construction company that was located near the site of the train station just up Liberty Street. Coincidentally, this is a short distance from the Gallery at Still River Editions.

The fourteen photographs are connected to poems posted online via QR codes, which viewers can scan using their smart phones, or look at online in the gallery.

Tangents
by Vito Pasquale

If life
didn't
have
tangents,
it wouldn't
have any
direction
at all.

Open House Day at Still River Editions in Danbury Saturday

The Gallery at Still River Editions
128 East Liberty St., Danbury, (203) 791-1474
Photographs by Keith Johnson and Mark Savoia
June 11—Aug. 26, 2011.
Open House Day: Sat., June 11, 11 a.m.—4 p.m.
Artists' Reception: Thurs., June 23, 5:30—7:30 p.m.

Press release

On Sat., June 11, 2011, the Gallery at Still River Editions will be re-opening as part of Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism's Open House Day 2011. Across the state on that day art galleries, historical properties, museums, parks, and other organizations will be offering free or discounted admission, tours, refreshments, and activities.

The inaugural re-opening exhibition at the gallery will feature the work of photographers Keith Johnson (Hamden, CT) and Mark Savoia (New Fairfield, CT). Both Johnson and Savoia were 2010 Artist Fellowship Recipients from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Johnson is a photographic educator and fine artist from Hamden, CT. Savoia is a fine artist and co-owner of Still River Editions and Connecticut Photographics in Danbury, CT.

Savoia and Johnson’s work is harmonious—they both have a subtle sense of humor that guides their photography.

On June 11, the Gallery at Still River Editions will feature:

• Special Saturday gallery hours 11 a.m.—4 p.m.

• 1 p.m. Artist’s talk and printmaking discussion with Mark Savoia.

• 2:30 p.m. Be a part of “Faces of Danbury”, and be photographed by Catherine Vanaria, fine artist and Adjunct Professor of Photography at WCSU.

• Refreshments

In addition to the Open House Day festivities, The Gallery at Still River Editions will be having an artists’ reception for Photographs by Keith Johnson and Mark Savoia on Thursday, June 23, from 5:30—7:30 p.m.