S. Carmody Photography: Friday, 1 July 2011

UpCycled – mixed media by Eric Nichols and high dynamic range photographs by Sarah Carmody

Preview Reception with artists: Friday, July 1, from 6PM-9PM
Open House with artists during the "Let Them Eat Art" festival, July 8, 6PM-11PM
Show runs though August 12, 2011

"One man's trash is anther's treasure." Eric Nichols and Sarah Carmody make use of this adage in the UpCycled exhibit that opens July 1 at S. Carmody Photography. Pieces are derived and inspired by discarded items that are reworked into new creations.

Nichols' foundation in sculpture serves as a basis for his pieces that integrate multiple mediums such as painting, printmaking, drawing, and digital imaging. The mixture of these divergent mediums present complex problems that must be balanced, and doing so results in a calculated development of coherence.

Beautifully grained marine-grade plywood serves as the structural basis upon which Nichols applies techniques. The wood is cut, sanded, and sometimes burned with metal objects. He then applies stencils, paint, digital prints, and found objects that may protrude from the composition. The components are situated within the layers of the gelatinous surfaces that coat the wood, thus creating a sense of depth, dimensionality, and texture.

Carmody indulges her fascination with urban decay and the departure of reality from human perception with a new series of images acquired during a visit to G & J Recycling in Arnold, MO. In capturing the images, Carmody employs high dynamic range (HDR), a technique that produces seemingly exaggerated detail and tonal range. In actuality, all the tones and detail represented are present within the actual scene, but are outside the parameters of human perception. HDR is achieved by shooting the same image at various exposures, combining them, and then selectively enhancing and de-emphasizing elements as desired. Decisively extracting vignettes from the rubble, Carmody strives to create aesthetic harmony.

S. Carmody Photography
2707 Sutton Blvd.
Maplewood MO 63143
314.401.8089
www.carmodyphoto.com