Gallery Partners
If you are unable to visit our gallery and would like to purchase photographs from this preview or others in the gallery, please contact the gallery and call 585-271-2540. | Peter Marr's and Partners' Picks of the Show Rochester Destinations September 8 to October 4, 2015 Peter
Marr and Gallery Partners have chosen their "Picks of the Show" click here to return to the details of the exhibit
All images copyright by the individual photographers Foreword
This is an exquisite panoramic image of the
Memorial Art Gallery, made all the more remarkable because it is
captured through a serene canopy of majestic oaks, a compelling
combination of a city scape and a natural landscape. It is important to
note that this superb image evokes even more visual stimulation from the
use of the panoramic format and the high quality printing on AluminArte
metal. What is amazing about Sheridan’s exhibition, and this print is no
exception, is that every
viewer, even though they may be familiar with a particular scene, will
be astonished at the revelation of seeing and admiring a well-known
scene in a completely new and exhilarating way. Their vision will be
reawakened, resulting in a sense of wonder and intuitive awareness. In the “Oak: Memorial Art Gallery print, there is a
striking similarity between the nobility of the main gallery building
and the majesty and elegance of the stately oaks. You can almost sense
the pride and emotion that these great trees have in forming such an
imperial archway to highlight the buildings and sculpture garden. In
particular, the two most prominent branches curve downwards as though in
homage to the gallery scene, and one can detect that every branch part
and leaf are trying their utmost to imbue this incredible panorama with
reverence and awe. It is a great tribute to the artist that although
this scene is completely backlit, his expertise has resulted in a print
of amazing depth, sharpness and highlight and shadow detail. The
autumnal color palette is spectacular and inviting, particularly with
the glowing hues of the oak leaves which add a warmth and patina to the
entire vista. It is magical, that even though the scene is backlit, the
long shadows in my mind project inwards, supporting and highlighting the
sculpture garden all the way to the towering edifice of the Art Gallery
itself. Finally, there is an overall peacefulness and tranquility in
this memorable place. It is like as though time has stopped, and it
wants to remain like this forever. Perhaps this is how the viewer would
like this panorama to look at all times. Certainly for myself, this is
an awe-inspiring setting that I never want to see changed. Peter A. Marr
On the gallery wall
immediately to the left of the picture that I am reviewing, is an
outstanding panoramic print of an iconic Rochester plaza that highlights
two famous landmark buildings. Utilizing digital software technology
known as “Little Planet Projection,” Sheridan has brilliantly
transformed the latter print effortlessly into a “Plaza in the sky.”
Recent research into how the brain works, has revealed that visual art
activates the brain’s reward circuit in how an image is projected,
rather than the image itself. This seems to me to reflect and agree with
many of the artist’s pictures in this exhibition, particularly with the
print that I am currently commenting on. Photographically
the outstanding cloud formations and the lovely blue sky add an exciting
focus and realism to this dynamic print. The buildings themselves and
the vibrant green trees and shrubs are all superbly rendered in both
resplendent hues and striking highlight and shadow details. The viewer
has to marvel at what modern technology can accomplish, transforming a
great picture into an exceptional and awe-inspiring print. I am visually
reminded of the classic Pixar animated movie “Up,” without the human
characters associated with it. I definitely feel that the plaza, with
the two buildings being much more prominent than they were, is spiraling
upwards leaving the friendly confines of the clouds in its wake. What is
also apparent, is that the spiral is definitively in an anti-clockwise
direction, largely due to the downward tilt of the largest building.
This rotation is slow enough, so that Sheridan has retained all the
incredible sharpness and detail of the original print. Certainly, this
stellar and visionary image will intrigue and excite every observer, and
no doubt prompt many of them to purchase the software and explore for
themselves the endless possibilities that it offers.
Boots Up and Relaxing
Good
portraits often rely upon details which give the viewer a sense of who
the person is. This excellent photograph by Jim Dusen does this with
details that clearly contribute to an understanding of who the person
portrayed is. His pose also complements and amplifies the second part of
the title of this… Relaxing.
The straw cowboy hat frames the face of the man, offering a contrast
between his grizzled face and the fine hand work of the straw hat. An
even stronger combination is the bottom of the boots which seem to
complement the man’s face. He looks as weathered as the bottom of his
boots! The background also suggests the front porch of an old house
where he is sitting at a comfortable chair after a hard day at work.
Jim has created a photograph which lets the viewer look into the
subject’s eyes, scan the environment in which he sits and judge him in
the context provided by both his pose and the comforts of home.
His title beautifully fits this photograph. Frozen
Many photographs are made portraying the
beauty of the fall, spring and summer seasons. Beautiful blue skies,
green grass and stately trees make for compositional elements seen in
many landscapes. Often landscapes
are photographed with wide-angle lenses that show a vast space.
Less frequently, creative “micro-landscapes” are made that show just a
small detail of the overall landscape but still provide the viewer with
a feeling that they can extrapolate from this small view to a larger
view in mind.
Ashley has made such a “micro-landscape” and
has chosen to do this with a winter scene that is devoid of color except
for one red berry that has survived. We see from the composition that
she has chosen so that the tree branches, covered in ice, naturally lead
us to that round red object. | ||||||||||||||||
Image City Photography Gallery ♦ 722 University Avenue ♦ Rochester, NY 14607 ♦ 585.271.2540 In the heart of ARTWalk in the Neighborhood of the Arts |