I am going to start the review of this very attractive photography exhibition by Sarah Hood Salomon by scolding the gallery where it is being staged:
Glen Echo Photoworks.
This is 2013, and for a gallery to have such an outdated
website as this one is... is unprofessional and bothersome. Today it was featuring a show that closed last March... tsk, tsk.
That's a shame, because Glen Echo Photoworks is one of the jewels of our area's art scene; with their exhibitions, classes, talks, etc. they are a giant part of not only our photography scene, but also of our arts tapestry in general.
To make matters worse,
the photographer's website was also failing to load (using either IE or Firefox).. when it rains it pours...
On exhibition are 24 color photos that use camera motion and slow shutter speeds in
order to "compress transitional qualities of light into one image." What they do accomplish is the delivery of sensually beautiful images that once again impress upon me what a gifted photographer can deliver.
The first photo that we see is "Sunset at the Chesapeake." It is an explosion of color and cool, fuzzy vertical lines that transform the landscape into a surreal beauty and a new version of the Chesapeake.
"Winter Winds" is so well done that it almost explodes in front of your face with the
whooosh of a storm, while "Man in Brown Suit" and "Odd Man Out" are both a little ghostly in the way that the figures have been shaken.
"Outside Dr. Ong's Office" is perhaps the best example of what this photographer can accomplish with her technique. I found this image to be a riot of color and almost an eulogy to string theory within a cyclone of warm colors - staying on the brainy theme, "Rt. 27" perhaps gives us an unintended insight into either the way that the Big Bang may have looked like or what the end of the Universe may look like.
It's all about color.
All of the pieces were also professionally presented and framed in museum mats to full conservation standards and priced really, really well; they were a steal at $325 framed and $225 matted.