Monday, October 19, 2009

Everyone's invited...

Monday, October 19, 2009 0



Directions to the Railroad Bridge: 
From Florence, head south on Court St.and cross the bridge.  Then take a left on 16th St. (across from the Mcdonalds). Then turn left onto Ashe Blvd.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Artist of the Month (October): Megan Pinch

Thursday, October 15, 2009 0
Introducing October's local artist of the month, Megan Pinch, along with images from one of her photography collections...




Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Megan Pinch. I am an artist and educator currently living in Florence, Alabama. I'm originally from Rochester, NY. I attended College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, where I double majored in Russian and Studio Arts. I fell in love with photography while taking classes from Robert ParkeHarrison. I attended graduate school at Rochester Institute of Technology for one year, then SUNY Brockport's Visual Studies Workshop, where I received my Master of Fine Arts degree. I have taught at The University of North Alabama, Texas Tech University, and College of the Holy Cross. Over the past ten years, my images have been featured in more than 50 publications and juried gallery exhibitions. I have received national recognition for my art, winning several awards and grants, including a fellowship in photography at Women's Studio Workshop.



What materials do you commonly use in your art?
My materials have changed over the years with technology changes, and I have found a good balance between darkroom and digital photography. I shoot black and white film with my Hasselblad, process it in my kitchen, scan it into Photoshop, and sometimes add color or make small changes. I still love the darkroom and prefer printing b/w on fiber paper, but for color I like using textured paper on a large format Epson printer with archival inks. I also sometimes still shoot with a Holga plastic camera and use my scanner as a camera. Recently I've been experimenting with video and stop motion animation as well.

Describe your artistic style and/or approach.
Artist's Statement for this body of work:
My images are narratives about relationships. These narratives are quiet and simple stories, oftentimes lonely and melancholy. In these pieces, I attempt to harness the contrast of the whimsical and the grim of the fairytale we call "love." Vintage wedding dresses fascinate me; and through the lens I imagine the stories of the women who wore them. Sometimes there is an enchanting story; sometimes not. I often use the disquiet of abandoned
spaces and barren landscapes to elicit the mood in my images.


What influences your art?
My art is influenced by many things- people in my life, what's going on around me, art, music. Sometimes I don't realize I've been influenced by something until someone else sees it in my work. Often I find myself drawn to objects, especially from nature, and sometimes the object alone inspires the piece.

What do you want the viewer to take away from your art?
I want the viewer to see a story in my pieces. It doesn't need to be the same narrative I see, but something they piece together. Everyone brings something different to the work, and sometimes two viewers can have very different interpretations of a piece. This always intrigues me.



What do you do when you're not making art?
When I'm not making art, I am doing a lot of other things that make me a better artist, such as applying for exhibitions and grants, doing research, scanning, organizing, and archiving my negatives, working on my website, learning new techniques and software, cleaning up files in Photoshop... basically a lot of time sitting at the computer. Away from the computer, you will find me happily cooking, traveling, and spending time with my husband Dan, our dog, and two cats.

How can someone contact you if they are interested in purchasing your art?
More of my images from different bodies of work can be seen on my website at www.meganpinch.com. Most of my images are available for purchase in small editions, and if you are interested you can contact me by email at megan@meganpinch.com or become a fan of mine on Facebook.
 
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