EXHIBIT Closed on March 17th 2019

Juror: Elizabeth Opalenik

Juror's Choice "Vapor" © Joanna Stuart

Water: it goes without saying that it's crucial to life on this planet.  The surface of the earth is more than 70% water, and the human body is composed of up to 60% water.  We humans feel an intimate connection with water and have expressed that connectivity in our art for thousands of years.  No surprise, then that photographers are attracted to water in its many forms and guises: everything from oceans, lakes and rivers to the sheen of rain on wet pavement.

Exhibit Calendar (Subject to Change)
Exhibit Opens:	7 February 19
Artists' Reception:	23 February 19 16:00
Exhibit Closes:	17 March 19
Submission Rules Selection Process How to make a Submission Submit your work Now Invite a Photographer The Darkroom Gallery Difference

For this exhibition we asked for creative wetness, including water in its other guises, such as ice, snow, or steam.  The subject matter of the photos could be virtually anything as long as water or wetness is included.  Think of the ways a surface is transformed by a gloss of water, the many ways of picturing water droplets, and the ways in which water is used in technology.  The photos we received covered conveyed water in a multitude of guises.  We were pleased to see that photographers addressed the environmental impact of water as a destructive force, but also great and sublime beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

JUROR'S STATEMENT: To quote from Poetic Grace,”water carries mystery, reflects back a life, can be a million jewels of dewdrops, brightens the dullest subject, can be the most powerful force, and yet gently causes reverie while gazing upon it soft sensuality.”  As a juror I found all this among the many beautiful images submitted but I went looking to see what else it is and often discovered less would have been more.  Many images made it to the near final edit but those technically executed, well composed, collaged with intent, seen in the right light, or that challenged an idea made it to the final cut. During the jury process I held a piece of Matt board to my screen to view strong image portions where the whole just missed. Conscious photographers carefully saw the edges or layers within the frame and submitted those images. With so many strong contenders, it was heartbreaking to make choices where minutia made the difference.  I congratulate the winners for your visually savvy eyes and ideas. Please do not be discouraged if your image did not make this exhibition. Be challenged to seek the mystery found between ordinary and extraordinary as you discover your less is more.  It was an honor to view so much creativity. Elizabeth Opalenik  Oakland, CA  January 2019

 

 

EXHIBIT Closed on November 24th 2019

An Exhibition of Photos of the Town Of Essex Including Essex Junction

Train Hop ©Ken Signorello

We asked for the submission of photos from the Town of Essex, including the Village of Essex Junction, for our first exhibition specifically of photos of the local area. Participating photographers could live anywhere, but the photos they entered had to be taken in Essex and Essex Junction. 

The challenge was to picture what it is about Essex, the town, and Essex Junction, the village, that's unique, that stands out and makes this place feel like home. We were rewarded with an eclectic variety of images from photographers ranging in age from high school students to seniors. The resulting exhibition was a delightful and creative mix of photos ranging from casual shots captured with cell phones to more formal compositions made by skilled photographers using high-end equipment. Viewed together, the photos in the exhibition comprised a view into the varied lives and visions of this dynamic and ever-changing locale.

The Details:

• You don't have to be a resident of Essex, but your photos must have been taken in Essex including Essex Junction
• Age doesn't matter. Minors will need a par­ent or guardian to submit their work. 
• All levels of photographic experience are welcome.
• Submission deadline is 11:59pm October 2, 2019. All entries must be received by the deadline; no exceptions!
• All selected prints will be displayed at Darkroom Gallery from October 18 to November 24, 2019
• All entries must be submitted on-line, by email or in person via any delivery method as long as they arrive on time.
• Entries should be submitted as high quality JPGs no larger than 1280 pixels on the longest side.
• You may submit your own prints as long as they are no larger than 11x14 inches, or you can have us make prints for you at a cost of $10 for 8x10 or 8x12 luster prints
• Entry is free.
• All selected entries will be displayed on our website, as well as in the gallery
• There will be an artist's reception at the gallery and open to the public on Saturday, October 26 from 4pm to 6pm
• Photographers may pick up their work at the gallery on or after November 24.

EXHIBIT Closed on May 12th 2019

Juror: Amy Holmes George

A portrait! What could be more simple and more complex, more obvious and more profound.

Juror's Choice Self Destruction © Samantha Goss

The above quotation comes not from a photographer, but from 19th century French poet (and art critic) Charles Baudelaire. It's still an accurate observation, maybe even more incisive  with the many changes in image-making that have taken place since 1859.  In the age of the selfie and ubiquitous photos of people both famous and unknown it's sometimes hard to imagine a new way of presenting a human likeness, and yet photographers are doing it.  It's said that the portrait differs from the candid (or street) photo in that the subject of the portrait knows that she or he is being photographed, and even that caveat is no longer a hard and fast rule. 

For this exhibition we asked contributors to interpret the portrait in any way they chose. It could be a self portrait, a formal portrait, a from-the-hip shot of someone whose attention was caught, or even a random body part. Manipulation of the image was permitted as long as the primary subject was from a photographic source in any medium.  Thinking, or seeing, outside the box was very much encouraged, and many of the contributors stretched the concept of the portrait to the extreme. The result is an eclectic exhibit of creative approaches to photographing people (and one rooster). 

Exhibit Calendar (Subject to Change)
Exhibit Opens:	4 April 19
Artists' Reception:	13 April 19 17:00
Exhibit Closes:	12 May 19
Submission Rules Selection Process How to make a Submission Submit your work Now Invite a Photographer The Darkroom Gallery Difference

 

Juror's Statement: "First, I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all the artists for sharing their personal vision in photography with me! You made my task as juror both challenging and rewarding. I was genuinely excited to discover so much diversity in approach and technique, along with rich, creative interpretations on such a traditional and timeless theme. It seems that photography, a medium of limitless possibilities, has enabled artists to refresh and also reinvent the familiar, long-standing conventions of portraiture. From quiet to compelling, simple to complex, curious to captivating—the works selected for this exhibition range widely in visual as well as conceptual exploration, conjuring stories that exist beyond the frame, surprising me over and over again with something unexpected." - Amy Holmes George, March 2019

 

 

Amy Holmes George, who lives near Dallas, Texas, is a fine art photographer and the past Executive Director of Texas Photographic Society (2013-2018). As a former tenured professor of photography and digital media at Stephen F. Austin State University, Amy has also held teaching appointments at Collin College, Baylor University and University of North Texas. Amy is a recent member of the National Board of Directors of the Society for Photographic Education (2013-2017) and a 2008 Fulbright grant recipient. She earned an MFA in photography from Clemson University and a BFA cum laude in photography and graphic design from Miami University. Exhibited widely throughout the U.S. as well as in Italy, England, France and China, Amy's work has been featured in over one hundred exhibitions and is housed in several permanent collections, including The Getty, The Kinsey Institute and the Fratelli Alinari Museum in Florence, Italy. Her work has been published in a variety of texts, including the third edition of The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes [Christopher James, 2015]; Gum Printing and other Amazing Contact Printing Processes [Christina Z. Anderson, 2013]; and the fifth edition of Exploring Color Photography: From Film to Pixels [Robert Hirsch, 2010].

 

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• All selected entries are exhibited in our gallery and included in a full color exhibit catalog.
• Juror's Choice receives a 30x48" vinyl exhibit banner featuring their image, free entry into a future exhibition, and an exhibition catalog.
  
• Honorable Mentions receive free exhibition catalogs and free entry in a future exhibition. 
  
• People's Choice gains free entry into a future exhibit.
• We offer free matting and framing of accepted entries for the duration of each of our exhibition, subject to standard sizes. Photographers set their own prices if they wish to sell their work and retain all rights to their photographs.