Can You Hear Me Now? I’m in Ogunquit!
Penn Station©JD Elliott. All Rights Reserved
Dave Weinberg, whose work is represented by VoxPhotographs, alerted me to a show that just opened at StoneCrop Gallery – located just a few feet beyond the entrance to the Ogunquit Museum of American Art. He and approximately 70 others have work on view – all photographs taken with cellphones.
Chain Store©Dave Weinberg. All Rights Reserved
First about the gallery. Dana Berenson is a commercial photographer whose studio is in Boston, but whose heart is in southern Maine at StoneCrop. The history of the impressive home and studio at StoneCrop is interesting and is detailed on the StoneCrop website. Allie Smith, Gallery Manager, tells me the tiny 10′x25′ gallery has been a public art viewing space for 90 years. But what I’ll never forget is that I had to clamber up a pile of bedrock to view some of the photos. I kid you not. You can just see the beginning of the “climb” to the right in the photo below. Is Maine a totally unique place to live, or what?
Can You Hear Me Now? includes work from all over the world, including Canada, Hong Kong, Brazil and Italy, and every nook and cranny of the USA. The works were submitted electronically, final works selected by Berenson and Smith, and printed by the gallery at White House Custom Color. The prints are fine. If some images are pixelated it’s the fault of the image-maker. I haven’t figured out how to take low-light pictures with my iPhone without creating a visual mess and it looks like a few others need some input as well.
New White Buds©Matt Williams. All Rights Reserved
Another VoxPhotographs photographer, Audra Welton, uses the hipstamatic app and I have to confess, it’s spoiled me rotten with respect to cellphone images. I feel like I drinking something incredibly delicious when I look at her work. It was great to see how others use it in this show as well. I’d like to see a show of images using ONLY the hipstmatic app and really get image-makers to push themselves.
Untitled©Lavender Marsh. All Rights Reserved
While there were fewer of the inevitable “My Feet” and pet shots than I had expected (and isn’t that a beauty by Lavender Marsh, above?), there were more really good images than I had hoped to see, and I highly recommend a trip to browse through dozens of $45 prints. Cellphone pics are the new brownie camera and I’m very interested in how this whole genre will shake down and its effect on fine art photographs as we (used to) know them. (see my earlier posting about the possibility of repeating Alfred Stieglitz’ secession sometime soon because of the total disregard with respect to print quality). Sales have been brisk to date for Can You Hear Me Now? and if you can’t find something you want to live with in this large showing, well, you must have your eyes closed. I’m including some of my favorites in this posting.
Ferris Wheel©Michelle Libby. All Rights Reserved
The works were submitted by students, veteran artists and everyone in between and it’s fun stuff. I’m really curious what kind of photos people are using their camera phones for – how it’s changing the way we see and Can You Hear Me Now? is a crash course in the subject.
There is a reception on June 9, 4-6 and the work is up through June 26. StoneCrop Gallery is open each day from 11-6. Taking your hiking boots.
Kiss the Sky©Kimberly Post Rowe. All Rights Reserved
Kitchen Door©Caley Mahoney. All Rights Reserved
Self-Portrait©Orianna Reardon. All Rights Reserved
Trustees Room©Maribeth Macaisa. All Rights Reserved
June 10, 2012 at 1:40 am
Wow! Thanks for including my photograph, bookended by two of my favs from the show, no less. In fact, JD Eliot’s and Caley Mahoney’s images were also favorites! I’m working on (finally) getting my site active (my avatar will link you to my sewing blog). I’m a former Portlander, and once upon a time worked at PTOM.