The Virginia Beach Art Center is hosting its 6th Annual National “From My Perspective” Exhibition and I’m in it!

I’m always a little amused at art exhibits with “From My Perspective” as a theme, because… if you understand art, every piece ever made is from someone’s perspective. I mean, we humans always must stand somewhere to view the world and where we stand always influences how and what we see. So, how do you narrow down what you’re going to submit?

For this show, I looked for images that I thought especially and explicitly represented a particular point of view. Ghost Dancers was selected. I guess not everyone looks at a row of backlit cypress trees draped with Spanish moss and sees sinuous bodies draped in sheer veils gently swaying to music!

These cypress trees were in the Henderson Swamp, which is part of the Atchafalaya Basin complex. I actually wasn’t standing anywhere, but sitting in a boat. The editing challenge of this shot was bringing out detail in the deep shadows created by the intense sunlight of Louisiana.

This is the second show for Ghost Dancers. It was at the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, NY, most of last summer. Bolt out of the Blue has been in several shows. I’ve kind of lost count, but I’m guessing this is at least the fourth.

The interesting thing about Bolt to me is that I have been back to this building in the Chicago Loop and I can’t figure out exactly where I stood to get this shot! Of course, I also know that this image did not come out of the camera. I spent significant time editing the digital capture to get rid of telephoto lens distortion and bring out the details of the architecture, specifically the straight black “ribs” in contrast to how the sections of the building form a curve where they come together.

It is gratifying to have two images in a show, and this is a show in a brick and mortar gallery. I shipped the pieces a few days ago. So if you happen to be in Virginia Beach, Va., between May 3 and June 2, 2024, be sure to go by the Virginia Beach Art Center at 532 Virginia Beach Blvd. and snap a shot of my pieces hanging on the wall. Many thanks to juror Pam Doss for choosing my work.