I’m thrilled to announce that I was once again chosen to be an artist in the Frank Bette Center for the Arts (FBCA) annual show, Alameda on Camera! This is the sixth year in a row that I’ve been invited to participate in this fun event, and it still makes me giddy to know that they like my stuff enough to include me.
For those of you who are new readers, the Alameda on Camera (AOC) event is a really cool one where the FBCA cuts a map of the island of Alameda into 48 sections, and invites 48 artists to draw a section of the map out of a hat (which is a fun ceremonial evening in and of itself). We then have 48 hours to take any photos we want in our section (during a specific weekend in February), and then have the month of March to edit those photos and shape them into any sort of art. Each artist is guaranteed one piece to be shown in the exhibit (which stays up for two months), and people have created glassware, shower curtains, paper products, books, quilts and all sorts of other cool things. Anything goes, so long as what you create incorporates the photos you took in your section. One year, someone even devised an Alameda-themed Monopoly game.
Even though Craig and I live in Alameda, this event is a cool way to learn new parts of the island since I rarely draw the same section. It only happened once–and I could have drawn a different section–but I kept it anyway, and took completely different shots the second year.
The only downfall to doing this event is choosing which images to submit for consideration. But it’s a “hardship” I’m happy to endure, because it’s just so much fun. Sometimes when I’m out taking the photos, I can see exactly what I want to do with a particular shot, but other times I have no idea until I start looking at them in Photoshop. Out of the hundreds of pictures I take during the 48 hours, my initial selection is anywhere from 10 to 20 images, and then I pare it down further to about 5 or 6.
This year, there was a bit of a theme to some of my photos. I had a section of town that included one of the island’s high schools. It was early morning as I walked around and took pictures, and there was a nostalgic feeling in the air. I tried to capture that nostalgia in the finished products:
I also found a cool, rundown garage in my section, which looks even cooler in black and white . . .
. . . and a serene waterfall . . .
. . . but these last two pieces are probably my favorites; although for different reasons.
First, there’s the piece titled “Reflection.” As I’ve mentioned before, I love to capture light play, and the sun reflecting off of the shiny globe on the statue’s head was amazing to see. It brought to my mind the power of our thoughts (or inner reflection), hence the double meaning behind the title.
The last one is one of those pieces that I don’t “see” until later in Photoshop. I was editing a photo of a beautiful flower, when I went a little too far in the saturation and color balance. The psychedelic look captured my imagination, and I initially thought of doing something akin to Andy Warhol’s famous Marilyn Monroe piece, but as I thought about it further, I decided to instead turn it into a wheel. As it began to take shape, I saw that the leaves behind the flowers could help accent the shape and the center leaves formed their own flower petals. And so, “Psychedelic Flower Wheel” came to be.
The AOC exhibit is normally on display for the months of April and May, but it’s being delayed this year due to some renovations. But fear not, the exhibit WILL happen, and I’ll let you know when. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for the announcement.
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