Celebrate the 4th with More Than Fireworks!

I will be out of town this weekend celebrating the 4th in Florida and seeing my new house for the first time but am bummed that I will miss Gallery Hop and all the folks that will be showing their …

Christopher Brinkman: Wildlife Photography at It’s Finest

I first fell in love with Christopher Brinkman‘s photography earlier this year when he posted amazing pictures of his trips abroad, to one of my fav places, Hocking Hills, and newborn owls in local woods on the 614 FB page.  I am passionate …

Photos, Family and Food: Photographer Caroline Kraus

Caroline Kraus and I met at the first Creative Arts of Women (CAW) meeting that I attended over a year ago and I was smitten.  She is on of the most effervescent and bubbly ladies I have met in a  long while.  Seems …

KozaVision: Frank Kozarich, Macro Photography, Drawing and Who Knows What Else??

I first saw the amazing photography of Frank Kozarich when he applied to participate in Falling for Local at Franklin Park Conservatory 2 years ago.  I was in awe of his gorgeous macro photos of insects, flowers and nature and was pleased that he did participate in the show.  Since that time, I have run into him at several events, seen his posts on the Art and Artists of 614 FB page and finally asked him if he would let me feature him here.

Kernels

Throughout his professional career, he has worked in creative fields.  First, he was a chef in the restaurant industry and now as a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machinist. In case you’re interested what that means (I was!),  CNC machining is a process used in the manufacturing sector that involves the use of computers to control machine tools such as lathes, mills, routers and grinders.  First, a CAD drawing is created, a code is created that the CNC machine will understand, the program is loaded and finally an operator produces complex 3D shapes.  This type of machining is

used in jobs that need a high level of precision or very repetitive tasks.  Sounds pretty complex and creative to me!

Although his career allows for creativity, that wasn’t enough for Frank so 4 years ago he created his own photography business called  KozaVision.  The name was inspired by Willy Wonka’s  WonkaVision…what a hoot!

Coming from a family of very creative people ranging from woodworking, to ceramics, painting, drawing and photography, it seemed only natural that he would catch the bug!   Aside from art classes in school, the only formal training he had was in painting and drawing at summer art camps at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown Ohio.  During these camps, kids were allowed to work on projects that were of interest to them and the instructors would teach the students the skills that applied to their chosen medium. Many of his earliest memories are of creating art.  However, he has had no formal training in photography—he is completely self taught!

DeDe Parker Certainly Does Snap!

There are so many talented photographers in this city and photography has been a passion of mine forever so I am always pleased to learn more about these artists and their process.  Previously, I interviewed photographer Jim Parker and, in the process, found out his wife, DeDe Parker, is also a creative soul.  So why not interview her?

DeDe Snaps is the name of the website she created in September 2012

(http://dedesnaps.wix.com/dedesnaps).  When she first started shooting, she had a little Fuji point-and-shoot but when hubby upgraded his camera, he passed on his Canon Rebel T3i and she began to get serious!

Tona Pearson

Although she doesn’t have any ‘official’ training in photography, she has learned a lot through experimentation.  She states that everything she has learned was because she wanted a certain effect, didn’t know how to do it and played around till she got what she wanted.

Over the last year, she has become obsessed with portraits, capturing people at their most authentic.  Eventually, she may move on to something else but right now, she’s pretty happy with what she’s doing.  She enjoys looking at things in a different way.

Photography isn’t an easy art form to get right, there are so many people out there shooting flowers, mountains, sunsets, models.  Anyone can do that; the challenge is to shoot something to make people think about it differently, to make them say “Wow”.  I get the best results without using a lot of effects.

A lot of the  feedback that I get is comments like “How did you do that?”  or ‘what filter did you use?”, but the most effective shots that get the best feedback are the ones that have little or no editing.

Flame

Working from home doing technical support for a major technology company, she doesn’t really consider herself to be very creative but I think those that know her would disagree. Every once in awhile, she is inspired about a project and it may take forever to get it shot due to her battles with fibromyalgia.  That means she doesn’t shoot very often or have tons of models but when she has the ability to create, she encourages her subjects to contribute to how they want to be portrayed.  Requesting that they bring different clothes, props and ideas with them for the shoot so that she can build open those.

Brian Hyrne

Originally, from rural McConnellsville in Southeastern Ohio, DeDe grew up on about 10 acres of farmland about 30 miles from Zanesville.  where she spent LOTS of time exploring nature: watching insects, climbing trees, playing in streams and, just generally enjoying mother Nature.  Her 8th grade class only had 10 kids…the epitome of small town/rural living!  “I remember watching storms rolling in and was always outside to watch the sunset.  I studied astronomy and would always make sure that the planets and constellations were where they were supposed to be.”  From childhood, photography was a passion.  Even though her family was poor, she was always able to get her mom to buy and process film for her (going to the pharmacy to pick up her photos was her second favorite thing…going to the library was first!)

Roman of Roman and Jennifer

When I first started shooting seriously a couple of years ago, I had no interest in working with people. After all, bugs and sunsets don’t care if you need to reschedule.  It didn’t take long for for me to realize that I could get much better work from people-but I didn’t want typical models or fashion shoots.  I didn’t want to do standard portraits.  I wanted to capture something specific to them to learn their stories and shoot that one moment of authentic feeling.  I have no interest in typical selfie-style posed smiles; you can see those anywhere.  My most popular series, My Favorite Things, was born out of desire to take a nude  and make it completely non-erotic, but still make the shot entirely about that person and their story.  Each of the eight models posed with their favorite toy from when they were a child. I’ve received so much great feedback on them.  You can see them in my Wix website and on Facebook.

My Favorite Things
Aeryn with Voltron

Although she doesn’t paint or draw, she does like to refinish wooden furniture when possible. Other than editing photos, one of her favorite things to do is stripping, sanding and staining a chair or table to bring it back to life.  Currently, she has several busted chairs in the garage waiting for some TLC.  She’s also a voracious reader and usually reads two or three books a week because it’s something she can enjoy no matter what her fibromyalgia is up to…reading is one way she can interact with the outside world, when she can’t physically do it.  Having fibro myself, I SOOOO understand!  Plus “You can go anywhere in a book; to other planets, other times, inside the human soul and learn about yourself in the process”.

Christine Guillot Ryan

 Although DeDe doesn’t shoot often, her work is truly like looking into the soul of her subjects and for that reason, I am sure that we all wish that she shot more often!  Hopefully, that will happen in the coming years.

Contact for readers

http://dedesnaps.wix.com/dedesnaps

https://www.facebook.com/DeDesSnaps

 

 

Blurred LInes with Fine Art Photography: Brian Hyrne

I first saw Brian Hyrne‘s photography in posts on the 614 Facebook page but was lucky enough to catch his display at one of the RAW Columbus events earlier this year.  His subtle use of lighting to create beautiful photos fascinated me.  We started our interview online but just recently met at his house during one of his shooting sessions with the lovely model, Rebecca Flint.

Brian grew up in Upper Arlington and studied Business at 4 different colleges (beginning at The Ohio State University). Although he has never received his degree, that has not impeded his success in the retail/sales world. Starting a full-time career fairly early, he pursued a retail career for 14 years as a merchandise planner and buyer, got married and relocated to Chicago, Atlanta before returning to Columbus.  After working for several retailers that went out of business, he became interested in sales and spent the next several years selling commercial fire protection systems.  This really opened the door to meeting and working with some quality people. He then found himself volunteering part-time for Habitat for Humanity in the Atlanta area which led to yet an “additional” career interest in real estate. After another relocation, he soon became a licensed realtor in Ohio and, eventually, Florida (currently he does referral work as a realtor for Keller Williams in Dublin, OH).  Whew! Quite a varied career!

Visual Arts, Self Publishing, Fundraisers, AFM and More Starting Tomorrow

What do I love about Columbus and Central Ohio?  That it is NEVER boring around here!!!  There is always something artsy, educational and fun happening on the weekends and during the week.  This week the art starts tomorrow night with a couple of art shows/openings, goes through the weekend with fundraisers, art shows, art openings and continues on Monday night for Alternative Fashion Mob‘s first movie night at their new FABRIC Resource Center on the second floor of Columbus Idea Foundry.  So, don’t complain that there is nothing to do around here…GET YOUR ART ON!!!

 

 

RIFFE GALLERY

THE URBAN LANDSCAPE

77 South High Street, First Floor

Opening reception

THURSDAY

5pm-7pm.

Christopher Burk is excited to be part of this upcoming curated exhibition with a total of sixteen artists from the entire state at the Riffe Gallery –

 

BIG LOCAL ARTS

STRONGWATER FOOD & SPIRITS

6-9 P.M.

THURSDAY

Big Local Arts is hosting a one day Art show at 400 West Rich and Strongwater Food and Spirits. Come see some amazing local art and help support local artists as well as Big Local Arts. There will be a large mix of 2-D and 3-D art available for purchase.

Big Local Arts supports local artists by giving them the opportunity to showcase their work to the thousands of people who come to the Columbus Arts Festival. In addition to The Arts Festival we will also be hosting a gallery show to continue to showcase local artists and to help make the Big Local Arts Tent better each year.

So come out for a night of great art and have a drink at Strongwater Food and Spirits. There will also be a raffle

HAYLEY GALLERY

7 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

1-9 P.M.

FRIDAY

 

Yes, it’s been 7 years since Hayley Gallery opened  their doors in New Albany. To celebrate this milestone, please join them for an Open House on Friday, November 7 from 1 to 9 pm. The gallery will be offering special discounts in honor of their 7th anniversary and one lucky person will win a piece of original art.

12TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY GIFT FEST & CRAFT SHOW

LINWORTH  UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 

Friday, November 7th (3:00 pm – 8:00 pm)
Saturday, November 8th (9:00 am – 2:00 pm)

Come shop for a great cause and have fun too!
Linworth Children’s Center will hold it’s 12th Annual Holiday Gift Fest & Craft Show November 7th & 8th. There will be 60+ vendors/crafters selling unique items, a lunch and bake sale, silent auction for themed baskets and a Santa’s Workshop for children. All proceeds benefit the LCC Scholarship Fund.

ART OF RECOVERY

FRESH A.I.R. GALLERY

HILTON DOWNTOWN COLUMBUS

5:30-10 P.M.

FRIDAY

 

The Art of Recovery is an annual benefit supporting Fresh A.I.R. Gallery’s mission. Fresh A.I.R. Gallery (Artists in Recovery) creates a venue for public display of work by artists affected by mental health and/or substance abuse issues. The gallery exhibitions feature the courage and struggles of the artists. Exhibitions combat stigma and address social issues. Southeast has created the Fresh A.I.R. Gallery solely for the benefit of the artist and does not accept commission from the sale of artwork. Artists throughout the community recognize the importance of having Fresh A.I.R. Gallery and supporting artists with all backgrounds.

The support of wonderful partnerships and our community allow our mission and programming to happen – THANK YOU!

This year’s Art of Recovery will be held on Friday, November 7 from 5:30 pm – 10:00 pm at the Hilton Columbus Downtown.

Featuring:
Live and Silent Art Auctions featuring original art from over 90 artists
A unique menu created especially for the event by Hilton Columbus Gallerie
Entertainment
Live art demonstrations

Individual tickets are $75 or $125 per couple. Contact the Fresh A.I.R. Gallery at 614.225.0980 x1206 or pullinsm@southeastinc.com to purchase tickets and/or sponsorship opportunities.

 

COLUMBUS IDEA FOUNDRY

GUEST SPEAKER:  Brad Pauquette

DIY PUBLISHING

2:00 

SATURDAY

Because writers are Makers too! Explore the DIY side to publishing at this free special guest lecture by local entrepreneur and Columbus Creative Cooperative Director, Brad Pauquette.The event is free, but RSVPs are appreciated!
__
Learn the 5-steps to producing a professional self-published books. Brad Pauquette, an experienced publishing consultant and the CEO of Columbus Publishing Lab, will explain the process that traditional publishers use to produce books, and how you can emulate those steps to produce a great book that readers will love. The seminar will take you from a finished manuscript to a self-published title available for sale from all major retailers, both as a paperback book and an e-book.

THINGS THAT SHINE

OPENING RECEPTION

1:00-3:00

SATURDAY

Erica Ott is having her first solo show, “Things That Shine” during the month of November at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center‘s 3rd floor Loft Gallery. On November 8th,there will be an artist’s reception.
All works are fine art paintings and are available for purchase. In addition, there will be fine art prints for sale of selected pieces from the show.
www.ericaott.com

PEOPLE AND PLACES ALONG THE WAY

RALPH CORRIVEAU SOLO EXHIBIT

PVG ARTISANS

CHILLICOTHE

6-9 P.M.

SATURDAY

A solo exhibit of Ralph Corriveau‘s amazing photography….”While some of the images are from the Central Ohio area, most were made during my motorcycle travels across the United States”

 A trip to Chillcothe is in order!!!

AVAILABLE LIGHT THEATER

77 SOUTH HIGH ST. 2ND FLOOR

8:00

SATURDAY

24 Hour Theatre is the drag racing of the theatre world. It’s short, furiously intense, and something might explode.Thirty artists, spanning the breadth of the Columbus theatre community, will create five brand-new short plays in just 24 hours. Starting at 8pm on Friday night, names are drawn, teams created, plays written over night, and rehearsals completed in 8 hours, all in time for opening night at 8pm on Saturday.Recommended if You Like: Jack Bauer, 24 Hour Comics, the distinct possibility that someone will fall flat an their face.JOIN THE PERFORMANCE on NOVEMBER 8 at 8 p.m.Presented by LEIGH HOUSEHOLDER & JOE WEBER

Lindsay Gallery

Ohio Self-Taught Show

Champagne Brunch Reception

Sunday 

1-3 p.m.

Presenting an exhibition of work by Ohio folk and self-taught artists from yesterday and today.Featuring:
William Hawkins
Joey Monsoon
Ashley Pierce
Amber Groome
Morris Jackson
Wallace Peck
Janis Price
Popeye Reed
Elijah Pierce and many more.Our friends at Sherrie Gallerie and Brandt-Roberts galleries are having their openings at the same time.
3 galleries, 3 different show, 1 afternoon.

Alternative Fashion Mob

First Movie Night

7 p.m.

Columbus Idea Foundry

Come have a movie night with the mobsters!

They will be showing the movie Unzipped (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114805/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1).

There will also be:
90s pop culture trivia for prizes
Snacks and Beverages (BYOB)
And Columbus for a Reason and Fashion Capital shirts and swag for sale

Also, bring a food item for Franklinton Food Bank and maybe you’ll get a lil’ somethin’ extra.

So bring some popcorn and a snuggly blanket and watch Unzipped with the Mob!

EXPOSURE…A Must See!

OMG!  OMG!  This is all I can say after my evening at the CS Gallery for The Second Annual Exposure Event!  Amy Leibrand (curator) Cindy Westover (accomplice..hehe!), Lisa McLymont (juror) and Daniel Colvin (gallery owner) outdid themselves last night at the opening reception for this amazing exhibit of mobile photography!!!

Every aspect of the event was phenomenal…from excellent food, over the top turn-out, yummy wine to exquisite art…what more could you ask for???

 I got there around 7:30, just in time for the one hour power outage…a celebration of last year’s power outage during the first hour of the event…and a gallery so packed that there was a waiting line to get in!  And,OMG, the first person, I see is Chad Cochran!!!!  FINALLY I get to meet this guy who I featured last summer and have wanted to meet forever! That alone made my night! 

Amy Leibrand and Daniel Colvin

Next was looking at amazing photography using our cell phones for lighting.  What an excellent way to start the evening.  The photography on exhibit is beyond words…so much variety, such talent, artists from all over Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Washington, DC and other US locations AND work from Italy, Turkey, England, Denmark, and more!  I wanted to just purchase all of them, have Amy bring them to my house and set up a gallery there.  Unfortunately, my budget precluded that but I did purchase a gorgeous pic from Denmark…can’t wait to get that one home!!!

 I got the opportunity to see Megan Monteith Corwin, someone I meet several years ago at a crafts fair, who has found her passion in mobile photography after trying so many other art forms; says she thinks she finally found her niche. Donna Estep McCarty and Chad were other photographers that I have featured along with Amy.  I also got to meet several of the featured photographers and hope to have the opportunity to meet with and interview them along with some other artists I met from the 614 group.

Chad Cochran and Amy Leibrand

Cindy Westover and Amy Leibrand, Accomplices in Photography!

It was a magical evening and I have to thank, most of all, Amy for her foresight to bring this innovative art form to the Columbus area.  I can’t wait to see what else she brings to our city!

If you weren’t able to attend the opening reception, you can still come out to the gallery to see the exhibit as it will be open for two more weeks.  Photographs can also be purchased through the online gallery at:

http://exposuremobilephoto.com/online-gallery/

Kiss Me, I’m Irish

The title really has nothing to do with this post but I love it because I am Irish and would love to have tons of kisses for St. Patrick’s Day this year!!!  Of course, those could take the form of liking and following my blog if you prefer!

This weekend is gonna be a real mix weather-wise so makes sense to spend some time indoors enjoying great art, having a green beer (or two!) and partying.

First up….      CS Gallery

March 15

7-10 p.m.

                                                                 

° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °

{ EXPOSURE } a mobile photography exhibition
curated by recently featured Amy Leibrand
° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °

Do you recall the power outage during last year’s opening reception? Patrons were left in the dark to (fittingly) view the images by the light of our smartphones. A disappointed “awwww” came from the crowd when power was restored. The outage ambiance was unexpected and special, so to celebrate the return of EXPOSURE, there will be a “Blackout Hour” during the first hour of the reception.

{ OPENING RECEPTION }
Saturday, March 15, 7:00-10:00 pm // Blackout Hour 7:00-8:00 pm

{ BLACKOUT HOUR // 7:00-8:00 pm }
° The lights will be dimmed, the atmosphere will be memorable
° Raffle with prizes from local shops and restaurants
° Acoustic set by Jeff McCargish

{ LIGHTS ON! // 8:00-10:00 pm }
° Performances by DJ Moxy and pRODUCT
° Video projection

Food, beer, and wine will be available all evening.

° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °

Exhibit Dates:
March 15 – 26, 2014

Gallery Hours:
Tues – Fri 5:00-8:00pm
Sat – Sun by appointment

° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° ° °

Next…        

83 Gallery South

March 15

     5-10 p.m.

This Space is Rented by Amy Leibrand!

Amy Leibrand (pronounced lie-brand) first came to my attention as I scrolled through the posts on The Art and Artists of 614 Facebook page.  I was attracted to her unique style of photography and haunting images.  Then Walter Herrmann, artist,sculptor and founder of 614, suggested that I contact her because she has been playing a prominent role in the art scene here in Columbus as well as abroad.  It seemed like I was meant to meet this funny and talented lady so after many failed attempts, we finally met at Panera’s for some conversation.

Before discovering photography, Amy tried her hand at painting.  She enjoyed painting from a young age, took numerous art classes as electives as she worked on a degree in soil science and attempted to show her work at galleries.  However, she says that her reception was less than spectacular, selling few if any paintings (she says she’s not a good painter…LOL!).

with friend and fellow photographer, Cindy Westover

Not to be deterred from expressing her artistic side, she began taking photos…first on a ‘real’ DSLR camera but eventually crossing over to almost exclusively using her iPhone.  She managed to get in on the ground floor of what is now called  mobile photography and found her artistic passion.

Her first photographic app was Hipstamatic but she soon graduated to other apps that allowed her to manipulate her photos after shooting rather than through an app like Instagram.  From there, her creative process blossomed. Now she uses apps that are similar to Photoshop to create and manipulate.  The only down side to this is that phone apps ‘crush’ the resolution of the pics so they can’t be blown up.  Seems like a small price to pay for such unique photos!