Griffin Exhibitions

Stephanie Shih | Griffin State of Mind

Posted on March 7, 2023

Stephanie Shih’s Asian American Still Life looks at the way we imbue preconceived notions of what the object holds, and how we re-envision that object in a new context. Her work is on view as part of My Favorite Things at Lafayette City Center, downtown Boston.

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

I am a visual still life artist, working in the mediums of photo and motion. I’m originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently live and work in Los Angeles, CA.

Tell a little about your exhibition, “Asian American Still Life.”

Asian American Still Life is an on-going series that examines the cultural richness of what’s usually considered the very Eurocentric (and painting-based) art tradition of still life. In the series, I’m pulling from my own cultural background as a Taiwanese-Chinese American as well as collaborating with other creators in the Asian diaspora to make our presences known in this venerated art tradition… and having a bit of subversive fun along the way (hopefully).

What do you find special about still life photography? What led to your decision to use it as a means to explore Asian American identity with this project?

I’ve always been more drawn to food and things and their internal lives than I have been to people! I like to “hear” the stories and histories that objects can tell. And so often in the history of the Eurocentric still life tradition, objects from other cultures get thrown in without context. I felt like it was really time to try to take back some of that narrative space and, in doing so, push the tradition forward.

What is a literary, musical or visual obsession you have at the moment?

I came across ceramicist Fujikasa Satoko’s work recently and am mind-boggled and obsessed. She makes clay come so alive that I’m in disbelief that it’s actually clay. That’s the kind of aliveness I always seek to bring to my still life arrangements!

ABOUT STEPHANIE SHIH

Stephanie Shih is a visual still life artist, known for her painterly use of shadow applied to playful perspectives on food. Shih started making photographs with her dad’s half-frame camera on childhood road trips, but only took up photography seriously later in life while in graduate school. At the time, she moonlighted as a caterer, and translating the experience of food to the visual image has been a driving through line of her work ever since.

As a second generation Taiwanese-Chinese American, Shih explores themes of cultural dynamics—belonging,alienation, appropriation, celebration—through her still life photographs. Shih’s photography has been featured in print outlets including Elle Girl Korea, 7×7, and Gastronomica, and online on Gourmet Live, Saveur, Fine Cooking, and Buzzfeed.

Shih is from the San Francisco Bay Area and currently lives in Los Angeles. When not in the studio or kitchen creating, she is a professor at University of Southern California.

Bonnie Newman | Griffin State of Mind

Posted on February 18, 2023

Bonnie Newman’s “First Light” still hangs at WinCam, so be sure to see it before it leaves in March! To learn more about her process we asked her questions for Griffin State of Mind!

Tell us a little about your background.

Thirteen years ago, I retired from a career in higher education and nonprofit management. I love travel and have always taken snapshots that captured the beauty and special aspects of the places I visited. And I have always found solace and spirituality in nature. Eight years ago, I upgraded my camera, started taking photography courses, and connected with a community of photographers, all of which helped me to strengthen my skills and have fun experimenting with my photography.

Tell a little about your recent exhibition, “First Light,” and how it was conceived.

I have a small cottage with windows on a pond on Cape Cod. Spending time there provided the opportunity to deeply notice my everchanging environment. I was particularly captivated by the morning light on the pond. I started taking photos from my window, my dock, and my kayak. In time, I felt I was simply recording the view, and not capturing the spirit of the area. I discovered the feature on my DSLR camera that allowed me to combine two images in-camera, one over the other, which made it possible to create more imaginative photos. I have since taken hundreds of multiple-exposure images that celebrate the early morning light on the pond.

How has your approach to photography evolved since beginning the project?

My work on this project has pushed me to experiment even more, utilizing intentional camera movement, (ICM) along with multiple exposures, to create “reinvisioned” landscapes, which capture the emotion I feel in the beauty and serenity of nature.

Has there been a Griffin Museum exhibition that has particularly engaged or moved you?

I always enjoy the exhibitions–I love seeing the many ways that photographers use the medium of photography to share their vision and what is important to them, and I gravitate to those who use experimental/out of the box techniques, and new ways of seeing nature and landscape.

What is a book, song or visual obsession you have at the moment?

I’ve had the opportunity to photograph a two-hundred-year-old historic barn that is about to be dismantled and rebuilt. I loved documenting the many discarded, deteriorating items left there for years, and then once the items were cleared out, to notice the elements of the structure of the barn. I particularly like the shapes, textures and shadows, the centuries-old construction techniques, the deteriorating wood, the old birds nests, and even the invasion of ivy through the dusty broken windows.

ABOUT BONNIE NEWMAN

Bonnie Newman is a photographer, outdoor enthusiast and avid traveler. With her camera, she experiences and captures the splendor of nature, compelling moments, and new environments.

Newman finds inspiration in nature, whether an expansive landscape or a detail that catches her eye. She sees abstraction everywhere and is attracted to shapes, transparency, distortion and fragmentation. Her recent landscape work utilizes the techniques of transparency and reflection, double exposure, and intentional camera movement to reveal her singular vision of a scene. The resulting images vacillate between serene and edgy, offering a flight from reality combined with a hint of mystery.

Newman’s photographs have been exhibited in a solo show at the Cary Public Library in Lexington MA. She has also exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography and juried in to group exhibitions at the Cambridge Art Association, Arlington Center for the Arts, Plymouth Center for the Arts, and Gallery Twist in Lexington.

She photographs for the Brewster Conservation Trust and the Town of Lexington Conservation Department, and her photos are on display at Brewster (MA) Town Hall, and the Lexington (MA) Visitor’s Center and in private collections.

Newman has taken photography courses with Emily Belz at the Arlington Center for the Arts, Griffin Museum of Photography, and the DeCordova Museum. (2015-2020). She participated in the Atelier 33 at the Griffin, has taken online workshops with Valda Bailey and Doug Chinnery, and workshops on Cape Cod with Steven Koppel and Julia Cumes .

Newman lives in Lexington and Brewster MA.

She can be found at http://bonnienewmanphotography.com/

WinCam is located in Winchester, at 32 Swanton Road, Winchester, MA 01890

Judith Black | Griffin State of Mind

Posted on February 15, 2023

With Family Album coming to a close at the end of February, we wanted to interview Judith Black for Griffin State of Mind.

Tell us a little about your background.
I have always loved making pictures… drawing cartoon characters, painting, taking some photos with my Brownie camera from an early age. Fast forward, in 1979 I started a masters degree program at the Creative Photography Lab at MIT founded by Minor White. I was 34 years old, recently divorced with four small children. Finding role models became an important part of my research. I was looking to see how women who were both photographers and mothers managed to balance nurturing their family and their need to have a career.

Family Group *(Mother’s day)* May 12, 1985

What compelled you to document your family originally?
Realizing I would not be able to spend much time away from work and home, I used the camera to record the physical and emotional changes we have all made over the years. Families are complicated…. something I hope my photos demonstrate. The photographs are a way for me to remember both the pleasures and pains of being part of and raising a family.

How has your approach to photography evolved since beginning the project?
It has been pretty consistent, actually, for the work I choose to exhibit which has always been black and white. At first, I used several kinds of film cameras. I was given the Polaroid Type 55 film, I fell in love with it. It that gave me a 4×5 negative and little print in 60 seconds. Once Polaroid and the Type 55 were gone, it was time to do something a bit different. I found that as digital cameras got better and better, I started to make more use of color. Who knows what I will do with that archive.

Laura and Self *(Before Arthur’s memorial service),* December 30, 1994

Tell a little about your recent exhibition, “Family Album”, and how it was conceived.
Barbara Hitchcock, formerly Director of the Polaroid International Collection, is the curator of the exhibit which pairs my work with Bjorn Sterri’s photographs of his family and his self. Barbara brought a non-chronological order to the photographs, choosing to look for visual ideas that brought small groups of photos together to spark a dialogue. It was wonderful to work with her choices!

Has there been a Griffin Museum exhibition that has particularly engaged or moved you?
I really enjoyed seeing the Lou Jones exhibit a couple of years ago. He is wonderful supporter of photography, a prolific photographer with so many bodies of work and a generous mentor.

ABOUT JUDITH BLACK

Judith Black received her Master of Science in Visual Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981 and was a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1986. She taught in the Art Department at Wellesley College for 25 years. Black’s work has been collected and exhibited in museums, from the Museum of Modern Art, New York to museums, institutions and galleries across the globe.

Michael Darough | Finalist, Arnold Newman Prize

Posted on October 15, 2020

As one of Maine Media’s finalists for the 2020 Arnold Newman Award for New Directions in Portraiture, Michael Darough‘s powerful series, The Talk, is on the walls of the Griffin until October 23rd. We wanted to know more about Michael and the work, so we asked him a few questions.

Installation view of Michael Darough‘s The Talk on the walls of the Grffin.

Tell us about what inspired the body of work? What was the first image in the series?

The Talk was inspired by the lives of different men and women that I would see on TV. These ideas for my photographs came from conversations I have had with family and friends when I was younger and within the last few years. The issue of systemic racial inequality, especially in regard to the criminal justice system, is not new. It felt like an appropriate time for me to begin to visually articulate those discussions and personal thoughts.

I believe one of the first images in my series was Remembering Gordon. This image was based on the photograph of Gordon or Whipped Peter, as he is commonly known, an enslaved African American man who escaped captivity in 1863. The image depicts lash marks across Gordon’s back; his head is turned profile while his hand is positioned on his hip. Although my photograph does not completely mirror the original material, I considered the composition and his body language when arranging my image.

Thinking about how this has been an ongoing problem in our country, I started looking at the root of this issue and how I might use historical imagery as a reference point to begin this work. I then transitioned to contemporary figures in the news to help guide how I was photographing myself.

Did your ideas about the work change over the course of creating the images? What did you learn from creating the series?

This project went through a couple variations before arriving at the current group of images. Conceptually, ,the idea did not change. I knew I wanted to create work about people who were victims of excessive force. Visually it was different at the start of the project in comparison to the photographs that are on exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Photography. When I started taking photos, all of them were in color and focused more on objects and less on the person. After constant re-shoots I arrived at a version that felt comfortable for the subject matter. I think what I learned most was how to work with lighting, explore storytelling and figuring out a way to direct my viewer through subtle changes.

While all of these situations pictured in the talk are of others, the images are self-portraits. How did your sense of self change when shooting the work?

Previously, I had explored self-portraiture in my work but those images were illustrating stories and memories from my life; these photos are addressing the lives of others. Considering the Information surrounding my portraits, it’s frustrating. I spend my time looking at the details surrounding the deaths of these men at the hands of law enforcement. By the time I would finish shooting and editing there would be another incident. Sometimes during this process, I would find another individual that I overlooked. Although I felt compelled to take on these roles and photograph myself, the cycle of violence feels frustrating.

What would you like us as viewers to take away from seeing The Talk?

This systemic issue within our criminal justice system has been affecting the black community for years. The talk is not something new, it is just a discussion that is currently being had in mainstream culture. I want individuals to look at the work and recognize this problem and feel compelled to have the necessary and uncomfortable conversations needed to fix it.

Can you talk a bit about what being a finalist in the Newman Awards means to you?

This was a great exhibition that I am happy to be a part of. The jurors selected a diverse group of work from talented photographers, addressing their respective content in creative ways. I think that each of us strived to explore new ways to work with portraiture. The imagery, while different, that emerged from our individual bodies of work came together nicely. I’m happy that I was selected as one of the finalists for the Arnold Newman Prize.

What is next for you creatively?

I’m going to explore this idea a little further. While I don’t see this project going on for several years, I do have a few more stories and perspectives to share. I am hopeful that through people marching in the streets, artists addressing this issue and individuals pushing for legislation to help protect individuals, there won’t be a reason for me to make this work. I’m not sure about all the details surrounding my next series but I do have plans to continue to pursue portraiture; probably photographing other’s, not myself.

To see more of Michael Darough‘s powerful work, log onto his website. You can follow him on Instagram @michaeldarough

Ruben Salgado Escudero | Finalist, Arnold Newman Prize

Posted on October 8, 2020

The Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture for 2020 is on the walls of the Griffin. Today we highlight one of the finalists, Ruben Salgado Escudero. We wanted to know more about his beautiful series, Solar Portraits, so we asked him a few questions.

© Ruben Salgado Escudero – Mg Ko, a Shan farmer poses with his cow in Lui Pan Sone Village, Kayah State. Only 26% of Myanmar has access to electricity, at least half of whom live in cities. In rural areas, of the estimated 68,000 villages in the country, just 3,000 or so have any sort of access to power. Solar power is a viable source of energy which can rapidly improve lives overnight.

Tell us about what inspired the body of work? What was the first image in the series?

The people of rural Myanmar who mostly live without access to electricity inspired me to begin this project. When I moved there in 2013 to begin my photography career, I was stunned when traveling outside of the main cities and saw that most people had to light candles and kerosene lamps after the sun fell. The first solar portrait I took was a farmer and his cow in a rural area about 250km from Yangon, where I used to live. He told me his story of how, thanks to his small solar panel, he was able to milk his cow earlier in the day and later at night, giving him more time to spend on the field and with his family. I asked if I could take a photo of him with his favorite cow. He agreed and as it was night time, I used the only source of light that was available- his solar powered led bulb.

© Ruben Salgado Escudero – Cristobal Cespedes Lorenzo (51) sits on his raft while carrying coconuts across the river to his home in Copala, on the coast of Mexico’s state of Guerrero.
Cristobal and Francisco Manzanares Cagua (16) both work picking coconuts which they then sell to a company which makes coconut butter and oil.

Did your ideas about the work change over the course of creating the images? What did you learn from creating the series?

I try to have Ideas for projects flow organically, so in this case, and after working on the project for the last five years, it has become much more than a photography project. Solar Portraits has foundation support with registered non-profit (501(c)3) status for its growing social impact initiative. The series has become an educational tool, bringing workshops and creative programming to the youngest members of communities I visit, which leads to collaboration with reciprocity. Students build a simple solar lamp or solar art project, with a focus on opening the door for bright young minds to learn about themes of solar energy innovation, global citizenship, and personal empowerment.

© Ruben Salgado Escudero – (May 31st, 2015) Denis Okiror (30) began using solar lights at his barbershop in Kayunga in 2013, he says most of his customers prefer to visit him in the evening. Uganda has one of the lowest electrification rates in Africa. In urban areas, 55 percent of Ugandans have access to electricity, however, access drops to 10 percent in rural areas, and is only 19 percent nationwide.

Tell us about what inspired the body of work? What was the first image in the series?

This project isn’t quite finished yet. I have been working on it on and off for the last five years. I’m still excited to tell a few more stories for it and eventually make a book. At the same time, I have a couple of other projects I’m working on simultaneously in Mexico, where I have lived for three years.

© Ruben Salgado Escudero – Faustina Flores Carranza (68) and her husband Juan Astudillo Jesus (65) sit in their solar-lit home in San Luis Acatlan, Guerrero, Mexico. Faustina and Juan have seven children and are together since 50 years. Like many members of the Mextica Indigenous Community, they have never had access to electricity.
When asked how having solar has impacted their lives, Faustina said, ”For the first time, we are able to look at each in the eyes in our moments of intimacy.”

Can you talk a bit about what being a finalist in the Newman Awards means to you?

As an artist, anytime that your work is recognized, it gives a push of motivation. It means that all of the hard work and the risks that one takes when creating a long-term creative project is worth it because it resonates with people and especially with seasoned talented photographers like the jury panel. I’m very excited to continue the growth of the project.

You mention Solar Portraits is a 501c3. How do we find out more information about your Non Profit?

Solar Portraits has 501(c)3 status under Blue Earth Alliance, which has allowed us to receive foundation sponsorship for the educational initiative which we are continually working to expand. It is important to me that this project is more than just the documentation. The work we do with young people empowers them to look towards a better future for themselves, their community and our planet.

To see more of Ruben Salgado Escudero‘s work, log onto his website. You can also find him on Instagram. Follow him @rubensalgadoescudero

Atelier 32 | Shelby Meyerhoff

Posted on September 25, 2020

We close out our Atelier 32 artist series with Shelby Meyerhoff. Shelby’s series Paper Playroom is her newest work created during the pandemic, and now on the walls during the Griffin’s Atelier 32 exhibition. We are thrilled to have Shelby as a member of our Griffin artist community showcasing her work here at the Atelier. We are also pleased to announce her upcoming exhibition in October at our satellite venue, Griffin @ WinCam. Her Zoomorphics exhibition will open on September 28th and run through November 5th, 2020. We talked to this prolific multidisciplinary artist about Paper Playroom and how the Atelier is an incubator for creativity.

Which of these images was the impetus for this series? How did it inform how you completed the series?

When the coronavirus pandemic arrived in Boston, I started taking care of my toddler daughter Moxie for much of the workday. Before COVID, my artistic practice had been to paint intricate designs on my own face and body, and then photograph myself. The whole process required hours of uninterrupted time. It had been my plan to do a new face and body painting series over the course of the spring Atelier. But with Moxie by my side, I knew I’d need to find a different way of making art.

One afternoon, we painted with washable paints and cheap printer paper, which crumpled as it dried. Looking at the peaks and valleys, illuminated by the sunlight streaming into the playroom, I was inspired to create sculptures out of ordinary paper products.

I took this photograph, “A Song to the Wind,” early in the semester. I was struck by the liveliness of this image, and the way the paper bag looked almost like a classical sculptural medium. Seeing this piqued my curiosity about the possibilities of paper.

Over the weeks that followed, I experimented with other ways of photographing the sculptures I was making. In particular, I tried backgrounds with loud patterns and bold colors, which were speaking to me at the time, but didn’t ultimately work well for this series.

Towards the end of the program, I circled back to the approach shown in “A Song to the Wind,” limiting the backgrounds for the series to blacks and greys. With fewer competing elements, the emphasis of the images was on light and form. It was a simple and elegant approach, but sometimes those can be the most daunting to undertake. I don’t think I would have arrived there without the encouragement of our instructor Meg Birnbaum and our Atelier group, who gave thoughtful feedback on every iteration of this project.

How has Atelier helped you hone your vision as an artist?

The Atelier was the perfect space to experiment with different ideas for how the project could go. Meg gave excellent feedback at every step in the process – not only during the regular class meetings, but also throughout the summer as further questions arose.

I was also blown away by the talent and experience of my classmates. Seeing their weekly submissions made me want to bring my very best work to class. And every week they were able to identify what was working well in my photographs and where I needed to improve, always in the spirit of helping me make the series stronger.

I felt safe bringing experimental work to class, but at the same time, I moved faster towards a completed series than I would have expected, because of the quality of our weekly conversations.

Tell us what is next for you creatively.

I’m looking forward to finding out! One of the strengths of the Atelier program is that it takes students all the way through the lifecycle of a project: trying out various possibilities, honing the work into a series and developing the series further, and then producing, marketing, and showing the work. Now that our show is up, I’m excited to begin experimenting again this fall.

I’ll start by picking up paper again, folding and twisting, and seeing where that leads. I’m also interested in doing more painting. And I’m curious if I can find a successful way to combine painting, sculpture, and photography in a new body of work.

At the same time, this fall also marks the culmination of my series of photographs created through face and body painting. The solo show for my Zoomorphics series is opening at the Griffin’s WinCAM gallery on September 28. I am thrilled about the opportunity to show and discuss that work, and it will be all the more fun to do so while in the midst of creating something new.

Join us on October 1st at 7pm Eastern for an engaging conversation with Shelby about creativity and Zoomorphics.

About Shelby Meyerhoff –

Shelby Meyerhoff is a multidisciplinary artist based in the Boston area. She works with a variety of media, including photography, painting, sculpture, and body art, often combining multiple techniques to create her images. Meyerhoff’s work has been exhibited at venues across the country, including the Griffin Museum of Photography (MA), the Mosesian Center for the Arts (MA), the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (GA), and the LH Horton Jr. Gallery at San Joaquin Delta College (CA). Her Zoomorphics series has also been featured in UU World, the national magazine of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

She has studied visual arts at the Griffin Museum of Photography, the New England School of Photography, and MassArt. Before becoming a fine artist, Meyerhoff worked in nonprofit communications, promoting environmental initiatives.

To see more of Shelby Meyerhoff‘s work, log onto her website. Find her on Instagram at @shelbymeyerhoff

Atelier 32 | Edie Clifford

Posted on September 21, 2020

Next up in our series on Atelier 32 artists, Edie Clifford. Her series, Walter Baker Chocolate Mills has a long memory for Edie and the surrounding Milton, Massachusetts community. Exploring not only her community, but a new camera during the pandemic times we live in gave Edie a new view of how to document the world we now find ourselves in. We asked Edie about her work and experience in the Atelier.

Which of these images was the impetus for this series? How did it inform how you completed the series?

This was the first image I took with my new infrared camera in spring 2019. It showed me how I could photograph the mills with a different look.

About the Walter Baker Chocolate Mills –

Architecture is to be regarded by
Us with the most serious thought.
We may live without her and
Worship without her, but we
Cannot remember without her.
John Ruskin

When I walk through the Walter Baker Chocolate Mill Complex in Milton/Dorchester Lower Mills, MA, my memories are filled with the smell of chocolate. I grew up in Milton in the 1940s-1960s and these imposing brick buildings that were built by my great great uncle in the late 19th century along the Lower Falls of the Neponset River were part of my childhood adventures.

I remember the taste of the broken chocolate pieces that were left in pots outside the Webb and Pierce Mills. I remember the rushing sound of the river as it tumbled over the dam and transformed into millraces, the water channels that led to the former water wheels. And I remember the sight of the trolley as it came around the bend to Milton station that was opposite the storehouses. I now understand that this complex was the beginning of my appreciation for architecture and how it anchors me in my life. The mills not only help me to remember but offer a sense of place today.

I photographed the complex during the spring of 2019 and 2020. I chose black and white infrared to capture the beauty of these architect-designed buildings within their river environment. Infrared allows for deeply contrasted images. It creates an otherworldly feeling with dark sky and water and white foliage and clouds, offering an alternative interpretation of this historic complex as it stands today converted to condominiums.

How the Atelier has helped you hone your vision as an artist?

The Atelier offered me a creative and supportive atmosphere to become aware .. of what I most love to photograph, the techniques I want to use and how to put the resulting images into panel or story. All this in COVID spring … I am grateful!

Tell us what is next for you creatively.

I will continue to photograph the man-made environment with my infrared camera but also with my new Fuji X4 which offers multiple-exposure and blending mode features.

About Edie Clifford –

Edie Clifford is a Boston-based photographer grounded in the man-made environment, from a fence lining a country road to historic and contemporary structures to architectural abstracts. Her photography has been influenced by her work in the field of historical preservation and her love of travel. She is drawn to studying the built environment developed by a variety of cultures both at home and abroad.

Edie shoots both in color and black and white. She uses photography as a mindful practice and enjoys experimenting with infrared, multiple exposures and abstracts to become aware of the present. Recent series include: Baker Chocolate Mills, Modernist and Brutalist Architecture, Massachusetts and London, and The Telegraph Road: A Journey through the deserts and mountains of California, Nevada and Arizona.

Her work has been included at exhibitions at the Oxo Gallery (London), Plymouth Center for the Arts (Plymouth, MA), and Tower Hill Botanical Garden (Boylston, MA).

You can find more of Edie Clifford‘s work her website and on Instagram @egclifford

Atelier 32 | Michael King

Posted on September 17, 2020

Mike King‘s series Fish Market is on the blog today, celebrating the artists of Atelier 32 now up on the walls of the Griffin. We asked him a few questions about the work.

Which of these images was the impetus for this series? How did it inform how you completed the series?

For Italians, food is the opera of life. It is important to use the best local ingredients. It’s important to think about it, talk about it, dream about it, dwell on minuscule details of the preparation and finally ,sit down with family and friends to partake in the communal meal. In Italy the preparation and enjoyment of good food is the metronome for life.

In these photographs (taken in 2017) of the Catania Fish Market (La Pescheria) in Sicily I portray the opening beat. For me the first photo depicts the opening operatic scene where all the players are preparing to break out in song. From there the photos depict the buyers partaking in an animated ritual of talking, joking, smelling and hand movements all aimed at securing the finest and freshest item at the lowest price.

How did the Atelier help to hone my vision as a photographer?

The Atelier has created opportunities to explore areas outside my normal photographic comfort zone. The assignments covered such diverse subjects such as abstraction, the use of words, still life, telling a story etc. These activities helped me to develop and refine new skills and expand my photographic vision.

In the past my photography activity began with stepping on an airplane taking me to some exotic destination. The Atelier has better prepared me for this post Covid-19 world in which I can now appreciate the photographic opportunities closer to home.

About Mike King –

Michael King is a retired physicist who worked in diverse fields of optical imaging. He has achievements and inventions in 3-dimensional holographic imaging, electron device photolithography and refractive eye surgery (PRK). A lifelong interest in photographic expression has led him to explore astrophotography along with underwater, travel and nature photography. In the early days of digital photography, he taught children attending summer camp to use digital cameras to develop an appreciation for nature.

He has exhibited at the Griffin Museum, two juried shows at Concord Art, and has studied at the Griffin Museum, NESOP and the deCordova Museum all located in Massachusetts. One of King’s bird photos was included in the book “Who’s Who in the Natural World” by Kay Fairweather. He also had an early hologram accepted into the Museum of Holography in Manhattan. In recent years King has used photography to explore the human condition and man’s place in the natural world.

You can see more of Mike King‘s work on his website. Follow him on Instagram @mikeking1940

Atelier 32 | Sarah Forbes

Posted on September 15, 2020

Today’s featured artist from the Griffin Atelier 32 is Sarah Forbes. These lovely quiet images from her series, Illuminating the Invisible is what we are looking at today. We asked her a few questions about her experience.

Which of these images was the impetus for this series? How did it inform how you completed the series?

Dried American Beech Leaf, 2020 was the impetus for this series. It was taken during a walk at the beginning of the pandemic. While I was excited to be out of the confinement of my house, the woods still felt dormant and dreary until my eye caught the golden glimmer of the American Beach tree leaves dangling from their branches. Intrigued, I moved closer and noticed the delicate texture of their skin and the fractal patterns that their veins created. Inspired by this experience, I continued to look closer at the natural world and find things that were often invisible to my naked eye. It allowed me to observe nature in its constant state of change and gave me some perspective on the changes going on in my own life.

How the Atelier has helped you hone your vision as an artist?

Atelier 32 was a wonderful creative community to connect with during a very strange time. I looked forward to the weekly Zoom call. Presenting my work each class and having to discuss it helped me to recognize, develop and articulate my own vision and what I was trying to convey through my images. My classmates and Meg, our instructor, were an important part of that process as their feedback and reactions would sometimes introduce something that I may not have seen on my own.

Tell us what is next for you creatively.

I plan to continue working on this series following the seasonal changes and capturing more of the nature world as it transitions. I am also enrolled in the Griffin’s Monthly Mentoring and Critique Program with Vaughn Stills, which should help me to continue to develop my artistic vision and work.

About Sarah Forbes –

Sarah Forbes is an emerging landscape photographer based in Boston, Massachusetts whose work explores the natural world and the perspective it can reveal.

Her artistic vision has been influenced by a variety of mediums and genres. Earning her BA at Connecticut College, Sarah’s childhood interest in photography became a passion as she immersed herself in the dark room and experimented with landscape, still life and portraits. A career in marketing communications introduced her to graphic design and computer presentations, which she continued to explore through her custom stationery and invitation business and multimedia shows to celebrate milestones.

Photography resurged with the arrival of her two children as she documented their adventures. As they grew to adolescents and no longer wanted to be her muse, she turned her lens to their athletic contests and captured the finesse and emotions of the players. With her passion rekindled, Sarah began taking classes at the New England School of Photography and had her first group exhibition at the Garner Center for Photographic Exhibitions in January 2020. This spring she enrolled in the Griffin Museum’s Photography Atelier 32, which culminated with an exhibition that can be seen at the Museum through September 29th or viewed online.

To see more of Sarah Forbes work, log onto her website. She is on Instagram @sforbesphotos

Griffin Exhibitions

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