Covid-19 is dampening my spirits. Visits to the Charles City Arts Center have been way down due to the pandemic. We did close for a couple of months starting in March but opened again mid-May with safety protocols in place. It greatly saddens me that our current exhibit has gotten very few views but understand the need for people to stay safe.
Let me just share a bit about our current exhibit, which is actually two shows! It is fine art photography by Craig Kienast from Clear Lake, Iowa. This show is fabulous! Craig is a talented artist and his photos are thought provoking and beautiful. We have two installations from Craig, "One Second in Florence" and "Life Vibes".
"One Second in Florence" is a series
of large photos from Florence, Italy, mostly black and white and sepia toned. Craig explained that he struggled to find inspiration while working on this show and came up for the idea while having a discussion with Rembrandt in his head.
All the images in this show were shot during a 1 second exposure. The people who were moving are blurred while the stationary background stayed clear and in focus. They are eerie and beautiful. I wish more people had a chance to see it!
The second installation from Craig, called "Life Vibes" is an outgrowth of the one second exposure technique. With these photos Craig used the one second exposure combined with moving the camera during the exposure. Craig then augmented some of the colors and the results are dreamy and bright. Someone called him the impressionist photographer and I think it is quite apt.
We will have Craig's photos for one more week. I'll be sad to see them go, they look really beautiful in our Arts Center (which is a Carnegie Library). Though I am also looking forward to next months exhibit... some mixed media abstract brand new pieces and ORIGAMI!!!
Here's one more from Craig Kienest to enjoy:
You can find more of his Fine Art Photography here: https://clearlakefineart.square.site/s/shop