'Movement and Light' at Langer

By Neil Lovett
HippoPress.com

Kim Bastien, Althea Haropulos and Daryl Johnson combine their talents in an impressive show of photographs and paintings, titled "Movement and Light," which is ongoing through June 1 at Haropulos' studio in Langer Place.

Kim Bastien is a young photographer whose painterly photographs are striking, beautiful pieces of work. Her subject matter of water and reflective light is both imaginative and thought provoking. A recent graduate of White Pines College with a degree in the arts, Bastien was inspired to begin this project while contemplating a theme for her senior project. She wanted to do something that the "founding fathers" of photography would have considered a breaking of the rules, something different and unique.

With that in mind, she decided to paint, but not with traditional paint and brushes. Bastien decided to paint with her camera. She has translated her internal inspirations into a distinctive showing of composition and color. .

Althea Haropulos is an accomplished photographer whose professional work includes corporate public relations photography, capturing images for annual reports and in-house trade publications. Haropulos' show contains a couple of striking images of the swirling, playful movements of dolphins in a crystal-blue watery environment. However, the processes known as Polaroid and emulsion transfers excite her most.

"These processes are what keep me doing photography," Haropulos said. In a Polaroid transfer, the photographer takes a Polaroid-produced shot, separates the image from the goopy chemicals 10 to 15 seconds after the exposure is taken and then applies the goop to a sheet of watercolor paper, creating an image. Emulsion transfer is similar, except the photographer allows the Polaroid exposure to cook for the required exposure time, usually one minute, then submerge the image side into a container of water. When the emulsion bubbles away from the paper, you carefully peel it from its paper and embed the image on paper, wood, glass, etc. Wonderful examples are displayed in the "Movement and Light" exhibition Daryl Johnson uses photographs as research for her paintings. Her display of watercolor painting brings to light an incredible talent in the art of seeing. A motorcycle enthusiast, Johnson photographs landscapes while riding on the back of her husband's bike. She then takes those images back to her studio, rearranges them into a collage and paints the resulting scenes. What results are fantastic scenes of organized landscape-chaos, that includes brilliant colors and contemplative angles. Her paintings lead the viewer through the painting, like an eye explores a maze. As an onlooker, you yearn to know what lies behind the next turn. Johnson's photo-collage notebook, the one that inspires her paintings, is also on display at the exhibit.

These three individualistic ways of recording light are a must see for all who are interested in looking at local work of superior quality.

Gallery at Langer Place presents "Movement and Light." The gallery is open Wednesday 12:30 to 5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday 12:30 to 5 p.m.; and Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or by appointment. For more information, call 668-3490.

Neil Lovett can be reached at hippo@hippopress.com