2/28/10

my sunday local artist ramble

image by Carla Shapiro
waking up this morning to the sound of hail balls hitting my window was surprisingly relaxing. I think I am just happy to have a day off to lay in bed for an extra few minutes. what a better way to spend my sunday morning in bed than to post another local artist ramble from my trusty 6 year old powerbook (kisses to the computer gods that this laptop is still operational).

As I consider all the interesting local artists I have encountered lately, one in particular comes to mind. I ran into her last night at an event for the Woodstock Land Conservancy and so I would like to briefly speak of her work today.

Carla Shapiro lives and works in Chichester, NY. I was exposed to her through CPW in which she has been involved on a number of levels- she has received a fellowship in 2003 and most recently she was featured in Landscape Forever an exhibition curated by Dion Ogust. After meeting her several times and speaking to her about her passion for teaching, we decided to host a workshop in the summer of 2010 in which she will instruct called "Portraits: On location". This workshop will help students to get a creative portrait (for assignment or project) on a location in a short period of time. The class will visit a nursing home and each student will be assigned an individual to photograph. Carla has been photographing the aging body for many years so this location suits her well. I think this will be an incredibly informative workshop.

Carla's work is about connecting to the world around her on a deep and meaningful level. May it be people or places, her images demonstrate a compassion and understanding of the cycle of life. By using experimental techniques such as toy cameras, she is able to add a layer of mystique to her images and is able to express this warmth without the expected cliches. Carla's images are complicated and peaceful all at once- which is such a realistic viewpoint.

Take a look at Carla's website here to get a more comprehensive view of her work and have a Happy Sunday!

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