Art Notes

Photo Opportunity

originally published September 20, 2006

Many of the venues around town are currently displaying photography. Athens Academy has three photographic artists on display. Two Jittery Joe’s locations are exhibiting photographs. Broad Street Gallery, the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, and the Tate Center Gallery, all on the University of Georgia campus, are displaying photographs. Mercury Art Works is currently featuring a photographic exhibit titled “Glam Pop Rock.”

Landscapes, Telepathy, and Golf: Rob Matre, John Morris and Scott Tasker are exhibiting photographs at Athens Academy until Oct. 13. In the Myers Gallery, Scott Tasker’s numerous color photographs fill most of the space: city scenes, the Statue of Liberty, landscapes, waterfalls, flowers, sunsets, boats, a lighthouse, a cow, architectural images and scenes from Twilight bike races. The Twilight images are printed on Plexiglas, producing a translucent effect, and properly placed in the windows. See www.scotttrasker.com for more of his work. In another area of the exhibit are photographic works by John Morris, who combines photography, drawing and installation to create a cohesive body of work. This series, which is a collaborative project with Christina Ayala, is part of an on-going telepathic communication project. Morris telepathically transmits a thought to Ayala for seven minutes, while she receives the message and makes a drawing of it. According to Morris, “the title is the thought that I transmit, the photograph, a document of the time and space that we spent making the work.” The photograph is time-lapsed, blurring the image of Ayala; the time is written on the final drawing product, which is framed with the photograph. The scenario is reminiscent of psychological testing done in the 1970s. The “Telepathy Station,” a table complete with colored pencils, paper and stop clock, inspires creative activity from the viewer, and allows the viewer to become a participant. Thumbtacks are even provided so that the viewers’ work becomes an essential part of the piece. Morris is a graduate of Athens Academy. He received his BFA from UGA, and an MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). Ayala, who also received an MFA from MICA, and Morris are now Maryland residents. See www.foreverspace.org for more info. In a more traditional vein is work by Rob Matre (of Matre Gallery in Atlanta), in the Bertelsmann Gallery on the other side of Athens Academy campus. Elegant, timeless and full of classic beauty, Matre’s photographs have been taken at golf tournaments over the past few years, “in preparation for a photography book on the subject of professional golf, which will be published upon the project’s completion by Longstreet Press.” Photographs of massive clubhouses from various golf courses, a close-up of tees in a jumble, and golf balls in buckets all become romantic icons of leisure. See www.matregallery.com.

Childhood Romance: Maria Vallas has work up at Jittery Joe’s on the Eastside through September. Her work has a personal touch; scenes appear to be completely uncontrived. Vallas says she enjoys using children as subjects because “they’re so unselfconscious.” “Susan and Mary” is an image of a woman sitting at a picnic table eating corn on the cob, while a child plays in the background. The spontaneity of the photograph makes one think the artist just happened to have a camera waiting on the table. “James, with Mask” is a perfect example of the eerie quality these photographs possess. This image is of a young boy with what looks like panty hose stretched across his face. This poignant quality maintains itself in other images, such as “Llyr with Circus Costume” and “Iris on Swing.” Vallas studied photography while in school in Chicago. Jittery Joe’s on Baxter Street has an exhibit by Daniel Breault titled “Answers Questioned.” Breault describes himself as a “street photographer,” finding his subjects as he wanders the world with his camera. Breault’s work is up for an indefinite period of time.

"Your Faith Instructions": Ben Reynolds, photography professor in the UGA Art Department, has an exhibit titled “Your Faith Instructions” on view in the Broad Street Gallery, at 257 W. Broad Street. Reynolds has documented the life of family member Lulu Mae Carpenter, after her passing in 2004, combining photographs with artifacts created by Carpenter. Reynolds received both a BFA and an MFA from UGA. The exhibit runs through Oct. 20.

Time to Celebrate: Bob Hart has work on display at The Georgia Center for Continuing Education on the UGA campus. A former UGA professor in the College of Education, Hart has collected images in celebration of art, music, nature and the UGA Arch. Details or close-ups taken at the John Lennon Wall in Prague resemble an abstract expressionist painting; Hart calls these photographs “Celebrate Music.” Celebrating art, Hart has photographed well-known sculptures. And a series of photographs of UGA’s Arch celebrate its upcoming 150th anniversary. This exhibit will be on display through the end of the month.

The Photographer's Eye: Randall Short is displaying photographs at the Tate Center Gallery on the UGA campus. The show, titled "how I see it," is described as “an eclectic group of photos captured by Randall Short on his travels around Northeast Georgia, the United States, and abroad. His work is characterized by creative use of natural light to capture the innate beauty of flora, fauna and the natural elements.” Short learned the craft of photography from his father, a professional photographer. While on a PGA Tour as a technical director, he was inspired to pick up the camera once again, in order to capture what he encountered on his travels. There is an opening reception for the exhibit on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. The show is up until Oct. 6.

"Glam Pop Rock": The debut exhibition by two New York City artists, Jason Paulson and Len Prince, will be on view through November at Mercury Artworks’ new location in the Chase St. Warehouses. The exhibit features photographs and collaborative digital prints by the two artists, including images of Missy Elliott and Drew Barrymore. Mercury Artworks is currently open by appointment only, visit www.mercuryartworks.com for more info.

Beth Sale

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