Opening Reception: November 1st, 2012 from 6-8pm to coincide with Laguna Beach ArtWalk
Please RSVP: 949.510.5481 by October 27, 2012
Behind the Lens
A channel through which something can be seen or understood; a means of communication or access; language used in a figurative or nonliteral sense.
We welcome you to join the JoAnne Artman Gallery in discovering the inventive creativity and framework of Photographer Brooke Shaden for her 2nd exhibition and the introduction of Artist J.T. Burke.
Brooke Shaden is a fine art photographer living and working in the Los Angeles area. Her passion lies in creating new worlds through photographs. Her vision extends beyond the realm of the camera, creating images that resemble paintings and speak of an era that is not our own. Each image is a story.
"My goal in creating photographs is not to take pictures but instead to create new worlds through my imagery. I want to mold and shape stories that are centered on character but pay close attention to where those characters are going and where they have been. Each image attempts to capture the moment of most tension where the character cannot turn back. Worlds that are distinctly different from our own yet call upon reality are created in order to keep the viewer rooted in reality yet questioning each piece in the image.
This new body of work marries two different elements together. On one side I have underwater photography, which in itself allows the viewer to see into a new world. To live under water is something that we cannot achieve, and to look at an image taken underwater is to live in that world for as long as you care to look. The other series of images from my new work incorporates surrealism and whimsy as I photographed small objects and transformed them into the centerpiece of the image. In some of these new images, photographed objects (small keys or paper airplanes, for example) were layered into the image hundreds, if not thousands, of times in order to create an elegant dress for the subject,” Brooke Shaden.
Jeffrey Thomas Burke was born in 1957. He received a BA from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1981, and an (hon)MS in photography from Brooks Institute in 1999. Beginning in 1984 he worked for many years as a commercial photographer, cinematographer and graphic designer. Jeffrey was an early adopter of digital photography and imaging as a part of his studio practice as early as 1990.
"My work presents a wild divergence from traditional photography and image manipulation. I collect and photograph vintage costume jewelry, then digitally collage those elements into complex and richly-detailed compositions. I riff with the concepts of afterlife, eternity and paradise. The newest pieces that I will be showing at Joanne Artman Gallery represent my most adventurous work to date."
All of our artists’ work will inspire, provoke, engage and mesmerize.
JoAnne Artman Gallery is located at 326 N. Coast Highway in Laguna Beach and is open Wednesdays-Sundays from 11-5, and by appointment. Visit the first Thursday from 6-9 pm of any month to coincide with the Laguna Beach Art Walk. Street parking is available directly in front of the Gallery as well as the Downtown Parking structure located at Glenneyre Street. Take a stroll through the galleries and studios. See art come alive in North Laguna!