Featured Artist of the Day: Francesca Danieli.

When you walk into our gallery from the stairway entrance and turn directly to your left, a cinderblock wall greets you. Mounted here for this exhibition is the work of the artist, Francesca Danielli. Her work in this show are photomontage pieces, which perfectly fits the theme of our current show, "Extended Realities: The Language of Photomontage".

The first piece of her work that we have is "Untitled [eye end-table]", made in 2005. It is an Archival pigment print. Her second piece is "Untitled [blistered couch]", also made in 2005, and this piece is also an Archival pigment print.

The point to both of her works in this show is that "Some see them as traps, others as prisons --- obviously the beautiful and expensive surroundings do not protect the occupants or make them people to be envied. Illness changes our perception of people. We have difficulty seeing anything but the sickness. It fills us with fear for ourselves. These images elevate the disease. Beautify it in a way....". (Artwork Identification, page 2.). Franscesca is an artist who challenges your perception of how we view the sick. It is quite common that most people tend to avoid or distance themselves from those with sickness, whether or not contagious, and she makes a valid statement that it is not always unavoidable, regardless of one's social status, or position in life.

"Francesca received a master's degree in fine arts in 2005. Thirty-two of her collages were collected and published by Nazraeli Press in a 2005 book called "Gamma Knife", which is the name of a neurosurgery. Her work was exhibited reecently at the University of Maryland, the 1708 Gallery in Richmond, the Maryland Federation of Art's Circle Gallery in Annapolis and the Courthouse Galleries in Portsmouth, Va.[.] Her prints are in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and she has works in the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. She served on the accessions committee of the Baltimore Museum of Art for several years." (Artwork Identification, page 2.).

Featured Artist of the Day: Joe Mills.

When you walk through the double-doors, just outside the stairs, you will come face to face with our Front Center Wall. Displaying not only the title of the show and all of its featured artists, it also holds the work of artist, Joe Mills.

The three pieces installed are The Smoke Chaser I, 2009; The Smoke Chaser II, 2010; and The Living Hell, 2009. The first Smoke Chaser is an archival pigment print on antique paper and it is mounted to a wooden drawer. The second Smoke Chaser, is a waxed archival pigment print on antique paper which is mounted to plywood, which in turn is mounted to a card-table. The last piece, The Living Hell, is an archival pigment print on antique paper mounted to a board.

"Mills says of his work, "We are artists whether we choose to be or not. It has nothing to do with "talent"[.] It is a priesthood, a faith that we are naturally a part of by the mere fact that we are human beings. It is a religion fueled by our innate curiosity to understand the mystery of existence. Painting, photography, collage, poetic writing --- each medium plays a part in giving definition to the larger picture. Eventually you realize that there is almost no difference between them. The art made being simply molecules of a single object --- the mission to materialized this object, to bring it into its own light, giving flesh to the infinite."" ("Artwork Identification packet, First Page.)

Creatively using found objects and incorporating them into artwork to help get his point across is a wonderful way that Joe Mills works. He expands his mediums to include artwork in a way that we may not usually expect to visualize, or accept, it. He is an artist who will make you think.

Exploring the Art.

In "Extended Realities: The Language of Photomontage", each of the pieces are strictly photographs, altered through the artists' perceptions and ideals. Every photograph tells a story, and some are tied to one another in theme, or meaning, or both. They are meant to broaden horizons, allow for alternate thought process, and to capture the creativity stored within us all. It is artwork like the pieces we have in this show that allows us to stop and imagine.

With themes ranging from "Alice in Wonderland" to animorphic images of substituted objects and people, from upholstered chairs with a single stain to mushroom clouds replacing faces, and even to a simple progressional turn of the same lady's face at different angles, this new show allows for personal interpretation. How does the viewer take the piece, even after reading the plaques beside them for an explanation? How do they tie the photographs together, or see them as their own separate piece? How do they relate?

This is a show that allows pondering, imagination, and creativity to flow. We encourage everyone to come and check it out before it ends next month, in November. It is a wonderful installment unlike any other we've held at our Gallery before. Everyone is welcome, so bring your friends and family. Spread the word to visit and enjoy the show we have for you at our Gallery!

New Exhibit!

Greetings everyone! Apologies for the slight hiatus while the new show was installed. Thank you for your patience. The new installation is called: Extended Realities: The Language of Photomontage. It will run October 14th - November 16th, 2013. We encourage you to check it out!

Unlike all of our other shows, this installation takes a new approach to our Gallery. This is the first show where all of the pieces are simply photographs. However, these are not just ordinary photographs. Each one represents a different perspective and can allow the viewer an alternate look on not only nature and the world, but also society and the thought process. These photos are meant to challenge reality and twist it into new life. They express different ideas of conception while still holding a candle to the truth of human society. This show truly is remarkable in its expression and features wonderful and creative artists.

Our reception for this show took place last Friday, October 17, 2013 from 5:30p - 7:00p. We had a wonderful turnout of local art go-ers and students, so thank you for your support. The discussions on the pieces were great and we are glad to have had the chance to hear about each one and the artists who created them. The artists featured in this installation are:

- Paul Cava
- Francesca Danieli
- Fran Forman
- Stane Jagodic
- Catherine Jansen
- Duane Michals
- Joe Mills
- Frank Rodick
- Dominic Rouse
- Maggie Taylor
-Jerry N. Uelsmann

And the show is curated by: Stephen Perloff, Editor, The Photo Review.

Again, we encourage you to come and see the exhibit for yourself before it has run its full course into mid-November. Please don't forget to sign our Guest Book in the Gallery and sign up for our e-mail alerts, too!