Saturday, October 29, 2011

Isabel Chicquor

Sadly, it seems that this blog is becoming an obituary column. I've just received news that Isabel Chicquor, an artist represented by Through This Lens, has passed away. Isabel has spent the past several months working against a tenacious malady that finally overtook her body - though not her spirit. Many of you will have known her as a spirited, opinionated and passionate artist and a generous human being and friend. We will all miss her.

Monday, October 24, 2011

No Alternatives:Hand-Crafted Photo Exhibition


Friday, October 21, 2011 artists, collectors, and the usual suspects gathered to see the unveiling of the No Alternatives exhibition at Through This Lens gallery. This is the first exhibition at Through This Lens to be selected by jury - in this case by Sam Wang and Christina Z. Anderson. Both Sam and Christina are noted authorities, and practitioners, in the hand-made photography world. In fact, they both also teach processes and techniques which are often referred to as "Alt" - but exactly why No Alternatives was chosen for the exhibition title is best expressed by Kevin Logghe. Kevin came up with the idea for the show more than a year ago. For more about that please see his web site http://www.fotosavant.com. There were entries artists from around the US and several other countries. The processes include, among others, cyanotype, platinum-palladium, carbon transfer, mordancage and gum bichromate. These processes are often based on antique processes, but some are experimental. All the subject matter is contemporary - which ultimately is the point of this exhibition. Given that many of the prints on display took days to create, and are each one unique, proof in on the walls that craft and hand-work has not been fully replaced by the computer.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Carter and Earley Reveal Secrets



Catharine Carter and Lawrence Earley spoke about their work Sunday afternoon. A revealing session, Ms. Carter noted that her work had become a sort of visual "journaling" to record her feelings and thoughts - and every image had a story behind it. She also mentioned how the misfortune of having her film cameras stolen during a trip had forced her to become more familiar with her digital equipment. While she continues to work in the darkroom, even exploring more hand-crafted processes, the body of work currently on display was printed by her on her Epson printer.

Mr. Earley, Larry to his friends, recounted experiences of interviewing boat owners and fishermen of the North Carolina coast. Much of his work has been shot on 4x5 film, though he sometimes other formats. His silver-gelatin prints are finely crafted and serve his subjects well. It was a pleasure to hear both of these artists reveal their thoughts and motivations behind their work.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Students visit Through This Lens

photograph (c) Through This Lens

Camp students from Durham Arts Council, just two blocks away, visited the gallery on Thursday afternoon. The two exhibitions running concurrently gave the students an opportunity to compare very different styles of photography. Surprisingly, both Lawrence Earley's traditional black and white work, East of Beaufort, and Catharine Carter's dreamy work, fared well with the students. These two exhibitions seem to be well received by all age groups.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Catharine Carter Reception

photo (c) Catharine Carter
Gallery visitors come out to see new work by artist Catharine Carter. Her exhibition, entitled Waking Dreams, will be on display though mid-October of this year.
Beyond (c) 2011 Catharine Carter

This group of photographs bridges that unclear line between photography and other media. All the images originated in Ms. Carter's camera - but you might not realize it at first glance. If you are at all familiar with work from the late 19th century, you might find some echoes here. Children's book illustrations come to mind, but many visitors say that the images could be just a touch disturbing for children. My opinion differs, since they are in many ways reminiscent of classic fairy tales. Come take a look and share your opinions.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

John Zager Draws Large Crowd

Friday evening, August 19th, John Zager had planned to speak during the opening reception for his photo exhibition and book kick-off, both entitled: Durham In Changing Light. There were so many visitors that the talk was abandoned. Most of his time was spent autographing his new book and answering visitors' questions. We were all having a little trouble keeping up with the flow of visitors last night. Even though the gallery officially closes at 9PM on 3rd Fridays, some visitors lingered, and late comers squeezed in until nearly ten. Mr. Zager's work offers a new perspective of Durham - but make your own judgement. His work will be on display through September 10th at Through This Lens gallery. His book will be available through the holiday season - and priced at only $18.99 has already proven to be a great gift idea.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Sad News about David Page

David Page, a long-time friend, and supporter of Through This Lens, passed away Saturday, August 13th, after a few months of illness.

David, graduate of RIT, had always been very active in the photography community by lending his support to local exhibitions and groups. He can be credited with bringing such notables as Barbara Morgan and Gordon Parks to speak at Duke University in years past. He had also been heavily involved in the Hugh Mangum Pack House Museum in Durham. Recently, he and Dr. Richard Zakia, along with the help of Vicki Wilson, authored the book Photographic Composition A Visual Guide, published by Focal Press in late 2010. All of those things are important, and memorable. I will remember his friendship above all.

Respectfully,
Roylee Duvall
August 14, 2011

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Hand + Eye Hand Made Photography Contest

If you have missed our listings elsewhere, you still have time to enter the Hand+Eye competition. Time is running short. To read about the competition, and related exhibition and publications please see: http://www.fotosavant.com/Contest/call_for_entries.html.

Talks by Bryce Lankard

July 20th: Really, I should also include Donn Young - but I like short titles. Today, July 20, 2011 both Bryce Lankard and Donn Young will speak at the Gregg Museum on the NC State University campus in Raleigh. The talk begins at 6PM, and is related to John Rosenthal's exhibition currently on display at the Gregg.

August 7th: The title correctly says "talks" because Bryce Lankard will present an artist's talk at Through This Lens on Sunday, August 7th from 3-5PM. I hope you will join us - especially if you can't attend the Raleigh event.

Please remember that we have Land of Dreams by Bryce Lankard on display through August 13th. If you visit the Gregg Museum to hear the talk, or to see Mr. Rosenthal's work on display there, also know that we have prints from both John Rosenthal and Bryce Lankard available for viewing and purchase. If you don't see what you are looking for, please ask.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Summer Vacation + New Exhibition coming in August

First of all, Through This Lens gallery and artist's services will be closed from Sunday July 3rd through Monday July 11th. This year we are actually closed less time than in past summers. Please forgive us is we cause you any inconvenience. Our staff is very small, and it is the only way to get a break. We also close for a few days near the end of year holidays.

The GOOD NEWS is that we've booked a new exhibition Durham: In Changing Light by John Zager, and hopefully a book signing too. Mr. Zager's work will go on display, along with a reception for the artist and book signing, on Friday, August 19, 2011. At this point, there is still a little concern about the books being delivered on time - but the photographs will be on the walls. The books will also be available through our web site if you miss the exhibition in person. You will find more information at our web site: http://www.throughthislens.com/zager.html.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Rostagni has Bush in a Box

Jean-Christian Rostagni first showed his photographs here in the fall of 2006, and has continued to be an important artist for us. He not only spends days printing and making one-of-a-kind frames, he also makes custom travel boxes for many of his works. The photo shows M. Rostagni with "Bush is a Terrorist" ready to travel. The work inside the box is aproximately 48x51 inches - and the box has room to spare.

We have signed, numbered Rostagni prints, both framed and un-framed at surprisingly good prices. M. Rostagni is a world-class artist and craftsman. The quality of his work is more like masters of the 1960s than artists active today - that is to be taken as a superlative, since so many artists today have taken the easy road, rather than the lavish treatment afforded every one of Rostagni's works.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Rex Miller on WUNC The State of Things

Photographer and film maker Rex Miller was interviewed on WUNC radio today, May 2, 2011, by Frank Statio. Through This Lens hosted an exhibition of Mr. Miller's project "All the Blues Gone" which was discussed during the WUNC interview. Original signed gelatin-silver prints from All the Blues Gone are available for viewing or purchase at Through This Lens. A book by the same title, which includes a CD with music and interview material, is also available at the gallery. To hear, or download, the interview please go to : http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/Meet_Rex_Miller.mp3/view?searchterm=miller, then scroll down to find the Listen Now or Download Audio buttons.

Visit the Rex Miller Artist page at our web site for more information about All the Blues Gone.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Ami Vitale, top photo journalist, talks at TTL


April 12, 2011 during the reception for her new exhibition: Behind the Headlines at Through This Lens, Ami Vitale shared her ideas about how to make compelling and honest photographs. "Get to know your subject" is the best way to describe her philosophy. Ms . Vitale is very much a humanitarian. She has often photographed in difficult situations, but points out that life continues, and beauty is often just around the corner from the uglier side of life. Ms. Vitale encourages anyone interested in making good images to spend as much time as possible getting to know and to by known by the subjects. Her work proves that her approach works. Through This Lens is proud to have her work on display through June 11th of this year.
Photograph of Ami Vitale and listeners courtesy of and copyright by Wendell Hull

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Connie Imboden Talk & Reception

Friday night, March 4th, about 40 visitors were present as Connie Imboden gave a formal presentation about her photography. In chronological order Ms. Imboden presented images and shared information about how the images were made, and in some cases, what had influenced her to make them. The talk was spiced with literary reference and a generous number of projected images. Most of Imboden's images are shot in, and sometimes under, water.

Through This Lens also has a small display of her framed gelatin-silver prints. Most of Ms. Imboden's books sold out after the presentation - though we hope to receive more soon.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Color Fidelity in the Digital Workflow



Sunday afternoon master printer and photographer, Wojtek Wojdynski, presented techniques for managing color consistency from start to finish in digital photography. About 25 people attended this first free workshop at Through This Lens. We hope to make other presentations as well as continuing with our history of artists' receptions and talks.

Friday, March 4th, artist, Connie Imboden, will give a talk and visual presentation during her reception. Since this will take place at a special time, please note that Through This Lens will stay open until 8PM that evening. The presentation will begin at 7PM sharp.

Vicki H. Wilson Reception Bright and Tasty


Last Friday, February 18th, Vicki Wilson's opening reception was a smash. Ms. Wilson's photographs, all printed on canvas, are bright and cheery to go along the the promise of Springtime - hopefully not far off. Her daughter and friends also laid a fabulous table. While you missed some great food, the photographs will be on display through April 9th - so don't miss that chance too. Food photograph courtesy of and copyright by David Page.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

ChemoToxic reviewed in IndyWeek by Chris Vitiello

Willie Osterman's work entitled ChemoToxic on display at Through This Lens has just been reviewed by Chris Vitiello in the Independent Weekly's Artery on-line. Chris tells me that the review also be published in the Wednesday, February 9th, edition of the paper. Please follow this link to read the review: Positive images: Documenting chemotherapy with archaic photography techniques.

In case you have not seen the exhibition it will be on display through March 12th, 2011 - but don't wait until the last minute. See it any time during our normal business hours: 10:30AM - 5:30PM Tuesday through Friday, and Saturdays until 4PM.