Les Allen‘s silver gelatin prints of found objects,
along with Carol Henry’s
tactile, layered and colorful and unique
Cibachrome prints will be on display.
Wild Things pair the one-of-a-kind Cibachrome imagery of Carol Henry with the silver gelatin large format photographs of Chicago’s Les Allen in the Carmel Visual Arts Gallery. Carol Henry has long been represented here on the Monterey Peninsula in two well-known fine art photography venues over the past 20 years, but the past year she has partnered in a creative space at The Barnyard called Carmel Visual Arts which houses her studio and serves as an art education facility and exhibition space.
Carol Henry is known for the cameraless process she perfected on Cibachrome paper. Many may recognize her botanical close-ups reminiscent of Georgia O’Keeffe paintings but this exhibit is quite a departure. Henry exposes her “wild side” with unique photograms of bouquets, birds, glass, insects and sea creatures by directly placing them on the now impossible to get Cibachrome, creating 20×24” color photograms she calls, “shadowgraphs”! There will be a collection of 15 never seen before unique photographs on exhibit.
Les Allen, a Chicago based photographer, was Henry’s choice to be the other “Wild Thing.” Allen creates elaborate still lifes from found objects, discarded natural and man made things that he assembles in complex arrangements to be the subject of his large format 8×10” black and white negatives. Next he processes the film and prints 16×20” and 20×24” silver gelatin prints that are meant to stimulate the imagination!
The unusual photographic constructs of both will provide plenty of thought provoking images and you too may become a “Wild Thing” if only for a moment while viewing this exhibit!
Live footage will be shot at the artist reception to be added to a documentary about Carol Henry’s unique cameraless photographic process.
