WINCHESTER, MASS.- Though differing in artistic approach, color schemes, and thesis, each artist of Down Garden Paths shares a mutual admiration and spiritual connection to nature. In this exhibition you will find an exploration and documentation of sustenance that can be harvested from the land, a glimpse of the people that remain farmers despite the changing times, and a concern for the preservation of our planet’s health.
“Down Garden Paths” is being showcased in the Main Gallery of the
Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA from April 11 – June 2, 2018.
Excerpts from the artist statements of each exhibiting artist below:
“Working the Land” – Craig J. Barber
‘There are still those who continue a close relationship with the land and all it has to offer: hunters, farmers, woodsmen, gardeners, foragers. I want to recognize and honor these individuals and their commitment, in a series of portraits in their working environments.’
“Phantasmagorical” – Joan Lobis Brown
‘Phantasmagorical is the title of my photo series in which I merged reflections from the exterior with the interior and created my own fantasyland…I purposely crafted a world in which reality is overtaken by imagination. In my world, birds perch on coffee cups and fly free around my kitchen…The boundary between the objects in the home and the flora and fauna in the garden is blurred. ‘
“J.W. Fike’s Photographic Survey of the Wild Edible Botanicals of the North American Continent” – Jimmy Fike
‘Since 2008, I’ve been creating a photographic archive depicting America’s rich trove of wild edible flora. The project has taken me to fifteen different states, so far, and I’ve amassed a collection of over one hundred and forty specimens. The work sprung from disillusionment with the position of landscape photography in relation to pressing threats like climate change, extinction, pollution and the loss of commons.’
“Sustain” – Ivana Damien George
“I am passionate about eating delicious food and living an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. One of the ways I reduce my carbon footprint is by eating a predominately plant based diet and growing my own produce. I share my passions for sustainable living and food through my images in my series Sustain.”
“Invasives: Beauty Versus Beauty” – Emily Hamilton Laux
Beauty Versus Beauty addresses issues of biodiversity, the complex relationships of native and invasive species within ecosystems, and individual notions of beauty in nature.
“Flora” – Marcy Palmer
The images are made from plants and flowers gathered during walks in my neighborhood or in my backyard, which are photographed, printed on vellum, and hand applied gold leaf, varnish, and wax to the prints to create the final images.
“Shibui” – Paula Riff
I create camera-less images using the processes of cyanotype and color gum bichromate as a way to physically interact with the natural world as an artist… My intention is to strip away as much as possible so that I am able to focus more on the elements of design and consider elements of nature in a different way.
“Places For The Spirit, Traditional African American Gardens” – Vaughn Sills
“These photographs document a tradition that is a way of using the land that is both historically significant and aesthetically resonant. Scholars (including my friend Sara Glickman) have studied these gardens and traced many of their traits to West Africa…”
