VoxPhotographs Weblog

Funny when you’ve never heard of someone or something and you hear about him/it twice in a week…

Such was the case recently with Portland artist and master printer Noah Krell. First I heard about his printing skills from Nathan Eldridge and René Braun at my 6/25 photographers’ salon at the gallery. They raved about him as an important part of their work as photographers – they’ve had Noah print their work at his digital-imaging business called Pure Photographic Goodness in Portland. Unfortunately, remembering names is not a skill I can claim. Obviously.

Anina at Rest © Noah Krell

A few days later, I was blown away by a photograph “Anina at Rest” in the current show “Island Artists: Fairfield Porter and the Great Spruce Head Island Artists” (through July 14) at Courthouse Gallery in Ellsworth. Hmmm. Artist: Noah Krell. Never heard of him. Where ARE these people hiding? In another room was a dynamite “Self Portrait” image. Guess what? Also by Noah Krell. Karin Wilkes, Director at Courthouse Gallery said she had heard he was leaving for the west coast soon. So, when I got back to my laptop that evening, I googled him, e-mailed him and asked him for the images electronically to include in a posting about him and could he send more info. about himself? When he responded he mentioned his business Pure Photographic Goodness and yes, he is leaving Portland in August and will land in San Francisco to pursue his MFA.

Although the image “Anina at Rest” is beyond stunning (I think my friend Susan Davens would have stolen it if she could have gotten away with it. But then I would have stolen it from her house on my next visit, so the friendship might have become strained), I’m not sure the impact can be felt from the reproduction here, but it’s better than nothing.His “Self Portrait” has the impact here it has on the wall at Courthouse Gallery:

Self Portrait © Noah Krell

Much of Noah’s work on his website is not for the faint of heart. I do remember seeing his image “In the Kitchen” recently somewhere – where??? CMCA 2008 Bienniel? I have no clue, but it’s unforgettable, trust me. Some would say Krell’s work is controversial. I say it’s obvious he doesn’t take public sentiment into consideration when he’s setting up a shot or engaging in performance art. He’s making very provocative, clear-eyed images about domestic arrangements and sexuality in today’s world. This artist is focused on making terrific pictures, period. Look. Look at the details. Look again. You’ll see what I mean.

Noah grew up in South Hiram, Maine and was graduated from College of the Atlantic in 2001. But…. he’s ready to fly west. Noah, will you stay in touch and send me an image from time to time so I can post it here and keep us all up-to-date on your work and where it’s going? And when you’re ready, come back and stir it up for us again, okay?

This entry was posted on July 5, 2009 at 1:05 am and is filed under EXHIBITS/SHOWS, Maine, OUT THERE - PHOTOGRAPHER SPOTLIGHT . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.