Petroleum Plaza, Edmonton Alberta
London Drugs, Edmonton Alberta
Westwood Unitarian Congregation, Edmonton Alberta
InFocus Photography Exhibition (February 3 to March 31, 2019)
My image, Prairie Icon, was selected to be part of the InFocus Photography Exhibition and Awards, which is curated by Alexis Marie Chute. The theme is Connections. All photographs on display are available for purchase.
|
Reconnections: One of my photography projects is to document small towns in Alberta that have been completely or partially abandoned. I am intrigued by the community spirit in these small towns and the commitment to reconnecting to the past through the restoration of buildings and homes. One of my trips was to Rowley, which is a small hamlet in Alberta. This series of images are visual symbols of how the community has reconnected to the past. For more than a century, grain elevators, often referred to as prairie icons, dominated Alberta’s rural landscape, typically with one elevator in each community (Image: Prairie Icon). Brief whistle stops were made at small train stations and the box car in Rowley reminds us of the importance of this train stop to the community. In 1999, when the last train passed through Rowley, the community decided to restore the train station.
|
Excerpt from the Blog .... I have spent a great deal of time reading about photography, taking some courses and workshops, going ‘out and about’ to see images, and learning from my colleagues. I am very grateful to local photographers, whose knowledge and skills have helped me to grow. A fellow club member, Ron Ross, offered a course on the “Art of Seeing,” which focused on examining the works of the great masters in art and photography (ranging from black and white to abstraction and impressionism), and examining the use of light and texture. Another well-respected and award-winning fellow club member, Jim Ainslie, is a gifted mentor, who lent me a good part of his Black and White library collection to help me to ‘see’ in black and white. At our local Images Alberta Camera Club Special Interest Group meetings (abstract, black and white, low light), my colleagues critique my work to further help me see things differently by looking for the light, breaking things down to basics, and looking beyond the obvious.