Look Again: A Photographic Art Show

Dimensions: 14 x 14 x 1.5
Artist statement: Some memories for whatever reasons stay hidden deep within us. I am interested in the telling of those stories that expose decisions that are pivotal to who we become in life. Some memories are so clear and accurate whereas others lose their details for having been so long buried. In this photo collage with stitch I am exploring a regret of my mother's, with a connection through stitch to my grandmother who was a wonderful sewer, and my grandfather who both have influenced choices and so down the road have influenced my own.

Jurors' Personal Works

Dimensions: 11 x 14
Artist statement: The images in my Early Spring Series are made from the first show of spring flowers using experimental cyanotype techniques. The results are unpredictable and remind me of the joy and surprise of early spring when the botanical world is coming to life bringing a sense of renewal and possibility. Cyanotypes are the oldest form of photography, first used to document plant specimens by Victorian botanists. These camera-less images ecologically friendly technique, which encourages experimentation and spontaneity.

Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 1.5
Artist statement: On a cold snap many people were skating on ponds a few years ago. I layered and blended a few digital photos to create this blend of that time. This time I played with bilateral symmetry.

Dimensions: 14 x 29 x 1.5
Artist statement: Life is tumultuous and uncertain, yet it’s the persistence of everyday marvel that fascinates me. One way I explore uncertainty’s gifts of surprise is through a photography-based art project, Caustic Optimism. Using a warped-glass object to disrupt my view of ordinary backdrops, I push myself to see the upended situation with fresh eyes. From the visual chaos of the highly refracted and reflected light patterns—what physicists call caustic optics—I look for and photograph the unexpected. A garbage truck outside my window might yield an exotic tangle of tropical flowers. Two swimmers might float into view from a dusty corner of my studio, while a Group of Seven Canadian Shield materializes from tools piled on a table. The results of this “painting with crazed light” process are rich, unique images: split-second captures of wondrous figures, places and situations as if conjured from banal settings. I use minimal photo editing (and no PhotoShop) before having select works enlarged and printed as archival pigment prints on fine art paper. From that body of work I produce stand-alone images as well as diptychs, montages and other assemblies. In “Nights when...,” I’ve paired two caustic optic images inspired by a quote from George Carlin. No wolves or moons were present when I took these photos—proof positive of the wealth of “there there,” marvel in every moment.

Dimensions: 10 x 18 x 7
Artist statement: On a clear sunny day, while recently walking on Charlie's Trail, I started playing with the ways that light, colour, angle, perspective all impact my experiences of any object. The photos in this piece are a fun reflection of that exploration.

Dimensions: 28.6 x 36.2 x 3.3
Artist statement: This work is taken from of a series of seven photographs titled 'The Seven Lunar Seas'. For many, ‘sailing the seven seas’ conjures up romantic images of endless horizons, adventure, pirates and heroism. The phrase has been seen and heard in books, on screen, in song and in folklore through the ages. Constantly changing, depending on political, social and economic factors, every culture has developed their own version, their unique ‘seven seas’. My version, ‘The Seven Lunar Seas’, continues this tradition of an ever-fluctuating definition, presenting us with an entirely new set of waterways. Common to all is the presence of our nearest celestial neighbour, captured in motion, traversing the night sky. In some cases, she leaves a trace of light not only in the heavens but on the watery world below. (When seen together, the original photographs follow an east to west trajectory, replicating the daily path of the Moon.)

Dimensions: 8 x 16 x 0.5
Artist statement: I love rust and take pictures of it anywhere I can find it.

Dimensions: 15 x 19.5 x 0.5
Artist statement: I was inspired by the rust on the floor at the ArtPod and took this picture, which I cropped to look like a landscape.

Dimensions: 18 x 18 x 2
Artist statement: I found this photo in an old University of Arkansas football magazine and used it as an image transfer on an acrylic and mixed media painting.

Dimensions: 18 x 18 x 1.5
Artist statement: With a little "Look Again" alteration to this impressive 187 meter long timber rail trestle structure, situated over the Kokisilah River north of Shawnigan Lake on Vancouver Island, it seemed to beckon the challenge of a virtual skateboarder?

Dimensions: 12 x 18 x 1.5
Artist statement: With salmon stocks on Vancouver Island finally increasing, thought we could celebrate with a fun image of the younger generation "enjoying the ride."

Dimensions: 22 x 28 x 1.5
Artist statement: I don’t think of myself as a classic photographer. I find that I am increasingly unconcerned by the reality of what passes before my lens, preferring to use my captures as stepping stones to places less traveled. Life is not always as it seems, and entire worlds exist just beyond the horizon of our vision. In some places, the fabric that conceals these worlds from view is thinner than in others. If I stand just so, and I am blessed with a certain kind of light, sometimes I can see right through that fabric. My goal is to engage the viewer as collaborator and co-author. My images set the stage, and the viewer supplies the narrative. I believe that strong visual tension encourages revisiting the images in the hope of gaining a richer understanding of the constantly evolving stories. Hidden clues are discovered, and the stories unfold, but never the same way twice. Look again, and an alternate narrative may be revealed. Robert Will – 2023

Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 1.5
Artist statement: As we travel through life we collect stories, but with time the details start to be lost, the faces of the people lose their definition. What do we do with the stories that are handed down to us that are even murkier than our own. How are they relevant to us today? How can we reconcile what we are told with what wasn't said or recorded? This photo based story is about my family roots, but raises huge questions in my mind of race and privilege and politics. I took the time to hand stitch on this as a means of connecting with my grandmother and her grandmother before her. To stay with the the story for a little longer. It is so complex. There are things I would like to know and understand and amend for.

Dimensions: 12 x 18
Artist statement: Jelly cone fungi are a fascinating mushroom that is easily overlooked despite their vibrant colour. They are small decomposers of conifer wood and appear most often in spring. Jelly cones, because they are among the few translucent mushrooms, offer an irresistible opportunity for photography. The small stature of jelly cones give us a reason for a closer look at their scale. Here the mushrooms are accompanied by springtails. Wildly abundant, springtails are known to eat fungal mycelium and spores, as well as nematodes, and pollen and plant material. Springtails are ubiquitous when looking closely in the mushroom world but they also inhabit moss cushions and leaf litter. Brightly-coloured jelly fungi are strange and eye-catching. They ignite curiosity, drawing us into their world where we see and learn more than expected.

Dimensions: 11 x 6 x 2
Artist statement: I am of Vikings. Whenever I visit aunts and cousins in Sweden in the summertime, we are always either out on the water (in a boat) or in the water (swimming). Swimming in cold water is in my blood, but it was only in the winter following Covid that I embraced my birthright and joined the plethora of people doing cold-water swimming as an every other day practice here in Canada. It is now a practice that keeps me mentally and physically bolstered. Process: I had some old EZScreenPrint, photo-sensitive screens that I thought might be fun to experiment with for this photography show. I got my husband to model for some photos and set up a selfie timer for others to create the original photographs. I then got these printed onto acetates, which I laid overtop of the EZScreen out in sunlight for 1 minute. Anything dark in my picture masked the screen area from the sun so it did not “develop” or harden. I then used silkscreen media and underglaze to print onto purpose-built clay forms which then got fired.

Dimensions: 9 x 3 x 1
Artist statement: I am of Vikings. Whenever I visit aunts and cousins in Sweden in the summertime, we are either out on the water, in boats or in the water, swimming. Swimming in cold water is in my blood, but it was only in the winter following Covid that I embraced my birthright and the plethora of people doing cold-water swimming as an every other day practice back here in Canada. It is now a practice that keeps me mentally and physically bolstered. Process: I had some old EZScreenPrint, photo-sensitive screens that I thought might be fun to experiment with for this photography show. I got my husband to model for some photos and set up a selfie timer for others to create the original photographs. I then got these printed onto acetates, which I laid overtop of the EZScreen out in sunlight for 1 minute. Anything dark in my picture masked the screen area from the sun so it did not “develop” or harden. The screens got washed out then left to dry and fully harden. I then used silkscreen media and underglaze to print onto purpose-built clay forms which then got bisque fired. Thee three smaller pieces are $50 each.

Dimensions: 25 x 19 x 1
Artist statement: I have always admired the work of Edward Weston and, from my first foray into photography, was particularly taken with his peppers, especially the bold sensuality of "Pepper #30". Although I could not hope to duplicate the subtle, yet poignant, rendering of light, shape and texture in his images, I thought it would be fitting for me, one of his biggest fans, to try to create a tribute to him. I had originally titled this work “30 for Edward”. However, in thinking about it, I realized it would be overly presumptuous on my part to produce a piece that included a full complement of thirty peppers. The result of my rumination is "Twenty-Nine and a Half (for Edward)". "Pepper #30" is still his, and his alone.

Dimensions: 12 x 24 x 1
Artist statement: An unusually shaped calla lily was the inspiration for this piece (part of a personal project I called my “Wallpaper Series”). The wallpaper in the background is upholstery fabric from an old chair and, as I painted and masked it onto the duplicated, inverted and rotated calla lily, what emerged was a surprising panorama - a long wall of other-worldly organisms, an exotic aquatic-like display. The image was colourful and intriguing but I felt it needed something more. And then, standing in line waiting to board the Clipper for Seattle, it came to me. This group, also waiting, was silhouetted against the evening light. I quickly photographed them with my iPhone, re-sized them and plunked them in - a small group of tourists standing before a massive, undulating display, vowing to write home to family and friends about what they had seen.

Dimensions: 11 x 14 x 1.5
Artist statement: I love the texture effects of layering photographs with photos of paintings. Often I just play with images until I come to a composition and colours that I like. In this one with the big billowing clouds, I was definitely thinking about the fire season that has already started in the interior. In this painting I am exploring the transformative effect of starting over.

Dimensions: 18 x 24
Artist statement: The lower mainland is in a state of crisis regarding homelessness and mental health, both as a observer and documenter one must walk a fine line between the ethics of the images we capture.