Fine Art Photography: Artist Susan Seubert shows at Kittredge Gallery and Blue Sky

I am pleased to announce the opening of a show at the Kittredge Gallery at the University of Puget Sound in Washington State.  The show opens today, August 21st and runs through September 22nd, 2012.

The show is entitled, “Nerve-Wracked,” and includes pieces from the series, “Panphobia,” and, “Neurasthenia.” Examples from the exhibit are below.

The opening reception is on September 5th.  Unfortunately, (or rather fortunately!), I have an assignment on the Oregon Coast at that time so I will not be in attendance.  However, I encourage anyone in the area to go and see the exhibition.

More information, including gallery hours and location, can be found here.

Information about Susan Seubert’s show, “Nerve-Wracked,” at the Kittredge Gallery

 

If you aren’t in the Puget Sound area, my work will also be included in a show opening September 5th at the Blue Sky Gallery/Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts  in Portland, Oregon.  The show is entitled, “The Unseen Eye.” My piece that is being shown is part of curator W.M. Hunt’s personal collection.  He purchased, “Neurasthenia #1,” and it has been chosen for exhibition at Blue Sky.

Title: “Equinophobia” Medium: Platinum Print, on view at the Kittredge Gallery from August 21 through September 23

Title: “Neurasthenia #1″ Medium: Dry Plate Tintype, on view at the Blue Sky Gallery beginning Sept. 5th, 2012

To view more of my personal work, you can do so by visiting seubertfineart.com

If you are interested in purchasing available work, you may contact any of the following galleries:

The Froelick Gallery, Portland, Oregon

The Joseph Bellows Gallery, La Jolla, California

The G. Gibson Gallery, Seattle, WA

Thank you for your time!

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Fine Art Photography: The Digital Divide by Susan Seubert

Yet another long overdue post…

This year I was one of  24 artists/teams selected for the citywide Oregon Biennial, Portland2012 which was held earlier this year. Portland2012, the Biennial of Contemporary Art, is a major survey of work by visual artists who are defining and advancing the contemporary arts landscape in the state.  The show was presented by Disjecta and curated by Prudence F. Roberts.

My installation at Disjecta is titled, “The Digital Divide,” and consists of a series of QR codes installed in the gallery which, when scanned with a smart phone or other hand-held device, takes the viewer to videos and/or text.  The artist statement follows below.  You can view the installation on my fine art web site here.  The videos can be watched by scanning the QR codes from your computer screen, or by visiting the multimedia portion of my web site.  I would like to thank the fabulous people at Disjecta, Ms. Roberts, Marc Greenfield and all the volunteers that helped make this piece possible.  Tri-Met was a wonderful sponsor and included some stills from the videos on the sides of buses and on bus stop shelters throughout the city of Portland.

A still from, “The Digital Divide” installed on the side of a Tri-Met bus as part of Disjecta’s Portland2012, A Biennial of Contemporary Art

A still from “The Digital Divide,” an installation piece for Disjecta’s Portland2012, A Biennial of Contemporary Art.

The following is the artist statement for the piece:

To explore ideas of toxic waste, environmental impact due to rapid changes in technology, specifically communications technology, I have chosen to create a series of videos, which are accessible via QR codes using smart-phone technology. New methods of communication, (cell phones, smart phones, computers), have created forms of consumption which have had a direct correlation to the environmental impact of that consumption. Although not obvious, many natural resources are used to manufacture technological goods that we now rely on for communication. These materials are often harvested from third world nations, the most famous example being the Democratic Republic of the Congo where the thirst for Colton has fueled violent conflict. Some heavy metals are used in the manufacturing of communication technology such as cadmium, lead and arsenic. The rapid change in such things as processor speed and memory capacity has led to an enormous turnover in electronic hardware waste. (One statistic cites that the performance values of Information and Communication Technology double every 18 months.)
QR (Quick Response) codes are a type of matrix barcode, which consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. They were designed by the Japanese in the early 1990′s to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. The use of the QR code is growing as a point-of-purchase symbol, where the consumer can scan the code and be taken to a video about whatever product to which the code is connected. The codes can be used for urls, text or numeric information. The problem is that the consumer must have a smart phone, access to the Internet and the application that allows the camera to read the code. Using QR codes as a method of communication, in order to see the actual visual information it conveys, most of which could normally be seen using our eyes through traditional media, one must use a camera. Eyes will simply no longer suffice to handle the task of reading, (i.e de-coding), the image.
Semaphore signal videos installed on the Internet, transmitted to the viewer via QR codes, emphasizes the digital divide that is currently prevailing in our global culture.
Working on the assumption that most viewers of this piece will not be able to read the semaphore signals as letters, (which form a sentence relevant to each location where the video was made), and that there will also be a number of viewers who will not have the relevant technology to read the QR codes, the piece will have effectively alienated the viewer from at least one critical portion of the piece, therefore encompassing both ends of the digital divide. I chose to use the Semaphore code because it is being phased out as a means of communication. Although it is still used in certain military situations, (such as refueling ships or moving munitions at sea), it will soon be gone as a method of communication. The Semaphore Flags system is used for conveying information at a distance by means of visual signals with hand-held flags.

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Fine art photographer Susan Seubert represented at Miami Aqua

The Froelick Gallery, which represents my work, is part of Miami Aqua this year and has chosen several artists, including me , to be included in their gallery space in Miami.  I’m thrilled to be represented at one of America’s largest art fairs, as Miami Aqua serves to bring West Coast artists to Art Basel in Miami Beach.  Art Basel is arguably one of the most prestigious art shows in North America and this is the first year I’ve had work included in the fair.  Charles and Rebecca chose to take some of my more diminutive pieces, including works from the series, “Tic, Tac, Toe,” and, “r e s t r a i n t.”  If you’re in Miami, stop by the Aqua Hotel and say hi!

Niqab, wet-plate ambrotype, 5x4", 2011 on display at Miami Aqua at the Froelick Gallery

This image was made using the traditional wet-plate collodion process where a glass plate is coated in collodion, then soaked in a bath of silver nitrate, exposed using a high powered strobe system and then developed, dried and finished with sandarac varnish.  They are then framed using glass mats and hand made wooden 8×10″ frames.  All the pieces from the series, ” r e s t r a i n t,” are 5×4″ in image size.  This piece is now SOLD.

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Wet Plate Collodion Photographer Susan Seubert reviewed in Equine

Any ink is good ink and this morning I was pleased to read a review in The Oregonian of the group show that my work is in at the Froelick Gallery called, “Equine.”  I made the piece that was curated into this show for my last exhibition, ” r e s t r a i n t.”  When the gallery owner saw the piece, he decided to hold it for this show.  The image is of a bridle with blinders and made with the wet plate collodion process. This piece has sold to a private collector, but I’ve included the image below and there is a link to the review here.  It’s always satisfying when an arts writer understands the territory I’m negotiating with my work and this brief review is no exception.  Thank you Bob Hicks!

"Horse Bridle with Blinders," 5x4", ambrotype, 2011

 

 

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Fine Art Photographer Susan Seubert to speak at the Froelick Gallery

During the month of April 2011, many galleries around Portland will be showing photography in tandem with events surrounding the Photolucida portfolio reviews.  On Saturday, April 16th, photographer Ron Van Dongen and I will be giving brief lectures about our work at the Froelick Gallery. The gallery is located at 714 NW Davis St. and the event will start at 11am.  It is free and open to the public.  I will be talking about my most recent body of work entitled, “r e s t r a i n t,” a series of 4×5″ wet-plate collodion ambrotypes that are a meditation on the word restraint.  If you can’t make it to the talk, you can see the work and read my artist statement at seubertfineart.com, my fine art web site.  I look forward to seeing you at the gallery!

Hotel Room 9, 5x4", wet-plate ambrotype, 2011

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Fine Art and Editorial Photographer Susan Seubert Noontime Chat at the Portland Art Museum

I have been invited by the Portland Art Museum’s Photo Council to give a talk about my work as an editorial photographer and a fine art photographer.  The talk will take place at the museum in the Miller room on Wednesday, February 17th at noon and is open to the public.  There was blurb about the talk on DK Row’s blog and in today’s Oregonian Newspaper. The talk will largely revolve around the broad notion that photography is simply a device used to communicate ideas.  Those ideas can be as distinct as each individual that chooses the camera as their medium.  More to come on Wednesday…  bring your lunch and be sure to not shy away from asking questions!  This is a casual affair.

Here is the press release:

For Immediate Release

Contact:  Jim Leisy (Photography Council)
503.708.3387 / jimleisy@fbeedle.com

“I’ve Led Two Lives”
a public talk by
Susan Seubert

at the Portland Art Museum
Wednesday February 17 at Noon, in the Miller Room

PORTLAND, Ore. —Noted photographer Susan Seubert will be giving a public talk about pursuing two discrete photographic careers: one as an artist and the other as an editorial photographer.

In this talk, I will discuss the challenges and rewards of being both a fine art and editorial photographer, how I’ve kept the two careers separate, and how ultimately they’ve grown to inform and involve one another.  I will show work that spans both careers.
—Susan Seubert

Susan Seubert’s public talk is part of the Photography Council’s monthly “Brown Bag Series”, a series of informal presentations by Northwest photography luminaries, the 3rd Wednesday of every month from Noon – 1 p.m. in the Miller Room at the Portland Art Museum.
This presentation is sponsored by the Portland Art Museum’s Photography Council.

Lecture by:      Susan Seubert, fine art & editorial photographer
Date & Time:     Wednesday February 17, Noon – 1 p.m.
Location:         Miller Room in the Mark Building
Portland Art Museum, 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205
Cost:                Free to the public.  (Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch.)

About Susan Seubert
Susan Seubert was born in 1970 in Indianapolis, Indiana and is an active fine art and journalism photographer based in Portland, Oregon. Her provocative imagery has earned her critical acclaim with inclusion in the Portland Art Museum’s 1999 and 2001 Biennials and most recently in the 2009 Tacoma Art Museum Biennial. In 1999 Columbia University awarded Ms. Seubert an Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for her magazine work. Exacting in her preparation and printing, she is a master with the techniques of silver gelatin, platinum, tintype and wet plate collodion.  Since receiving her BFA in photography from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 1992, Seubert has exhibited continuously in the United States. She was featured at Houston Center for Photography in 1997, and included in exhibit at Exit Art (New York) in 2001.  Currently, her work is represented by Froelick Gallery (Portland, OR), G. Gibson Gallery (Seattle, WA), and the Joseph Bellows Gallery (La Jolla, CA).

About the Photography Council
The Portland Art Museum Photography Council offers members behind-the-scenes access to collections, exhibitions, and curators. The council sponsors annual acquisitions for the Museum’s photography collection and brings renowned international photographers and historians to Portland for public and private events. Since its founding in 2001, the council has sponsored programs by David Byrne, Bruce Davidson, Elliott Erwitt, Abelardo Morell, Jerry Ueslmann, and many more. Dues to join the Photography Council are $100 for Members, $200 for Contributor Members, and $500 for the Advocate Member level.

About the Portland Art Museum
The seventh oldest museum in the United States and the oldest on the West Coast, the Portland Art Museum is internationally recognized for its permanent collection and ambitious special exhibitions drawn from the Museum’s holdings and the world’s finest public and private collections. The Museum’s collection of 42,000 objects, displayed in 112,000 square feet of galleries, reflects the history of art from ancient times to today. The collection is distinguished for its holdings of arts of the native peoples of North America, English silver, and the graphic arts. An active collecting institution, dedicated to preserving great art for the enrichment of future generations, the Museum devotes 90 percent of its galleries to its permanent collection. The Museum’s campus of landmark buildings, a cornerstone of Portland’s cultural district, includes the Jubitz Center for Modern and Contemporary Art, the Gilkey Center for Graphic Arts, the Schnitzer Center for Northwest Art, the Northwest Film Center, and the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Center for Native American Art. With a membership of more than 22,000 households and serving more than 350,000 visitors annually, the Museum is a premier venue for education in the visual arts. For information on exhibitions and programs, call 503.226.2811 or visit portlandartmuseum.org.

Editor’s Note: For high resolution images please contact Jim Leisy at
jimleisy@fbeedle.com or 503.708.3387.

Florida - holding a baby alligator. Learned a lot about how to hold one.

photo by Chris Hornbecker

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Susan Seubert at the Tacoma Art Museum

The show, “A Concise History of Northwest Art,” is currently on display at the Tacoma Art Museum in Washington state.  A series of pictures I made in 1998, “The Ten Most Popular Places to Dump a Body in the Columbia River Gorge” will be on display until May 23rd of 2010.  If you haven’t been to the TAM, I highly recommend a visit.  Not only is the collection housed in a magnificent building, designed by Antoine Predock, but there are also several other museums located close by.  Although Tacoma is generally not considered as worthy a destination as it’s big sister Seattle, I have found it a fine place to visit.  We’ve taken the train from Portland and spent the night at the impressive Hotel Murano, which is dedicated to glass art.  Not only is the train ride from Portland relaxing, once you arrive in Tacoma, you can take the free streetcar from the train station and spend the day tooling around the downtown area.

Susan Seubert's image from A Concise History of Northwest Art at the Tacoma Art Museum

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Susan Seubert reviewed in San Francisco Weekly

Happiness is a good review.   I have the great privilege to have been included in a three person show at the Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco. The SF Weekly has a very nice blurb about the show here.  Unfortunately, but also fortunately, work precludes me from attending the opening.  If you find yourself in the San Francisco area on October 2nd, head on over to the Rayko Photo Center and party down at the opening of, “Lightning, Lava and Bombs.” It features the work of myself, Ben Nixon and Hendrik Paul.  The opening begins at 6pm.

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Susan Seubert’s piece, “Nest” wins juror’s choice award

The Center for Fine Art Photography in Colorado has announced the winners of the 2009 Art In Nature exhibition and my piece entitled “Nest” has been selected for the exhibition.  The juror was Kathy Moran, National Geographic magazine’s first senior editor for natural history projects.  It is a tremendous honor to have been one of the 48 artists chosen from three countries.  The exhibition will be on display at the gallery from December 4th, 2009 until January 9, 2010.

Nest #1 from the series, "Nest"

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A Smashing Success

This post is not meant to be a gloatfest, but I must admit I am left feeling a bit gobsmacked by the amount of people who attended my opening at the Froelick Gallery last Saturday evening.  It was incredible.  I have to give a huge thank you to my Mom and her friend Susan Brody who assembled the catering for the event.  Thank you to Photolucida for helping me promote the show.  KC was our fantastic bartender and Karl, Rebecca and Charles all did an incredible job of keeping everything running smoothly.  To have such a fantastic crowd during such a huge economic slump is heartwarming and makes me feel as though the tide has turned.  The evening was full of friends, strangers, photographers, curators, collectors and writers.  People took a leap of faith and purchased work.  There was much rejoicing.

If you missed the show, you can see it on my web site seubertfineart.com or at the Froelick Gallery’s site. Here are a few photos from the installation process, the catering volunteers and before the opening began…

My incredible husband, Steven Josefsberg, installing the Nest series

Tah dah!!!!!!

Super husband SKJ working on the Bombs in a Box installation

My Mom, the best mom in the world, with the veggies

Susan Brody making proscuitto breadsticks

Installation view #1, opening night

Installation view #2, opening night

Installation view #3, opening night

Mike Davis and Deb Pang Davis sent me some photos of the event and with their blessing have allowed me to post them here.  Thank you Mike and Deb!!!

Susan with the Pingyao International Photo Festival entourage

Susan and Randy discussing Lambda prints

Deborah Pang Davis and Melissa Farlow in the center, my hubby on the far left.

Susan speaking with the entourage from the Pingyao International Photography Festival

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