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Photography Exhibit at CMC
-By Cyndera Quackenbush
Serenely lining the wall of the back study room in the Copper Mountain College library, is a series of black and white photographs of Mark Kirchner�s art exhibit entitled �Landscapes and Found Paintings�. On February 23, the exhibit opening night, Kirchner provided a lecture to curious eyes and ears as to what lies behind his simple but timeless photographs.
�I felt like what I was trying to communicate, in some obscure way, was more or less the creation story, creation myth, and I feel like I could spend the rest of my life putting in different pictures,� expressed Kirchner about his work.
Towering over the heads of those who witnessed the lecture, the �two meter high� Kirchner spoke in a deep, calm voice which reflected the peace depicted in his photographs of nature. After being in a room for awhile with Kirchner and his art, the silent epiphany of his work can be acutely sensed. The usage of only black and white and other restrictions of his subject matter has the similar effect as reading an ancient Japanese haiku poem. Like haiku, Kirchner goes beyond being an artist and is constantly in the act of realizing the present moment in his immediate environment.
�By simplifying things it becomes more about what you can see, what you can recognize. There was a great period of time when I did a lot of photography I just never shot any film. I just saw things, because a photograph is an act of a gift. A photographer doesn�t need to make any kind of film or digital file - they�re seeing. As you start seeing, the whole world opens up,� stated Kirchner.
In agreement with his subject philosophy, the way Kirchner takes pictures is an equally simple process. Staying away from the complex world of digital photography and Adobe Photoshop, he implements an old process that dates back to the 1890�s. He uses a large Deordorff view camera (no longer made) where the size of the physical film is the actual size of the final print. These prints are called �contact prints�.
�Landscapes and Found Paintings� is a group of work that can not be found in just any art gallery. It is a rare and deeply personal art display that avoids dramatics and instead captures the most basic and beautiful elements of earthly existence.
If you are interested in witnessing the exhibit �Landscapes and Found Paintings�, it can be viewed until May 4, 2005 inside of the library.
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Click to enlarge.
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