Canvas print

October Exhibit Tripleheader /  by Ian Hameroff

October 2019 is turning into quite the action-packed month for Ian Hameroff Photo! Starting next week, I will have three concurrent exhibits across the greater Seattle area. It’s a super awesome, humbling, and crazy time.

In addition to the two displays underway in the PhinneyWood neighborhood of Seattle, I have been selected as the October featured artist at the West Seattle branch of Verity Credit Union.

West Seattle Branch of Verity Credit Union

Kicking off at 5p on Thursday, October 10th—as part of the festivities for the October West Seattle Art Walk—this latest exhibit shall feature a sampling of my work across several mediums: metal, acrylic, and canvas prints, along with traditional framed and matted photographic prints.

17554042_10154500374622825_5201509448913629259_n.jpg

I stopped by the West Seattle branch earlier this week to scope out the setup. After my walkthrough, I decided to curate a selection of captured exposures, grouped together into four, themed sets:

  • “Blue Backed” - If I have a “style”, one of them would certainly be my love of capturing common objects and bits of architecture set against the clearest, purest of blue skies. You can see examples of these all across my portfolio site. The Verity CU exhibit will offer attendees the chance to see one of my personal favorites: “The Giant Chance”. This exposure will be on shown as a giant, 36 x 24 inch metal print.

  • ”Monochromes” - Working in black & white, silver tones, sepia, et al could be considered rather pedestrian or predictable creative photography. But, when done well, the contrasts and image depth can be stunning. For this grouping, I’ve pulled a few items from my back catalog—including “A Black Bird” (framed print circa 2014 and previously selected for the Microsoft Employee Art Exhibition)—and a brand new acrylic print of an exposure captured in Hawai’i in 2016.

  • ”Sunsets” - I’ve decided to expand on the “Greenwood Sunset” print I had at my exhibit in July at the Nutty Squirrel Magnolia. I produced a few new framed and matted prints of sunsets, including this all-time favorite of mine, “Sunset Over Pu'u Huluhulu”.

  • “Metal Postcards” - As a special treat for those who will attend the art walk event on October 10th, I am bringing along ten 4 x 6 inch metal prints (or, postcards) of some of my “fan favorites” produced in monochrome and sepia tones. These will only be on display during the hours of the event.

Verity CU is hosting my work (sans the “Metal Postcards”) for the whole month of October, so don’t fret if you can’t make the October 10th event. You may not want to miss it, as Nick (one of the many fantastic West Seattle branch member consultants) reminded me, there will be lots of refreshments and fun. Rain or shine!

Curating a selection of exposures for the Verity CU exhibit

To recap the three Ian Hameroff Photo exhibits on for the month of October:

  • Sky Light 2 (Canvas Print) on exhibit as part of the Phinney Center Art Gallery show “The Healing Power of Art” is on through October 18th. You can read more about my featured photograph here.

  • “Exposed Metal.” - This exhibit features six selections from my metal prints collection captured from around the northwest, and the world. It is on display until the end of October at the Phinney Ridge location of Seattle’s favorite artisanal gelato shop, the Nutty Squirrel.

  • Verity Credit Union West Seattle Branch - Officially kicking off during the October West Seattle Art Walk on October 10th, but continuing to be on display during normal business hours until the end of the month.

Here’s hoping to see you at one (or more!) of these sites.

Behind the Capture: "Sky Light 2" /  by Ian Hameroff

“Sky Light 2” is one of a series of photographic exposures I captured during a two-week business trip to Melbourne, Australia in April 2017.

"Sky Light 2" Captured By Ian Hameroff

A canvas print of this exposure is on exhibit at the Phinney Center Gallery, part of a new show called “The Healing Power of Art” (on from September 12-October 18, 2019).

“Sky Light 2” among 40+ works on exhibit

It is featured among 40 works of art, across a variety of medium and materials. All of these works are reflections and expressions of how art (either the process of creating or through the enjoyment of the artwork of others) can be extremely therapeutic.

Here’s the artist statement I submitted with “Sky Light 2” to explain how it represented the show’s theme:

Every visual artist constantly struggles with trying to recreate what they see with the naked eye through their medium. When that very moment has been captured, it cements an emotion that has the supernatural power of creating a connection between the artist and their audiences. The idea of the healing power of art speaks directly to these extraordinary, lasting bonds that are formed—in most cases without the artist, subject, or observer ever having met. For this show, I am submitting a photograph I’ve captured that I believe exhibits this incredible power of emotional evocation:

"Sky Light 2" (Canvas Print) - Captured in Melbourne, Australia in 2017, this image creates a strong sense of having a path and a means to reach a better state of mind, body, or soul. Whether you believe this is going up towards the sky, or just straight forward, it is the metaphorical journey to the light at the end of the tunnel.

On Friday, September 13th, the Phinney Center Gallery hosted an opening reception for this show. Art lovers from around the greater Seattle area were able to meet and mingle with many of the featured artists. As one of these artists, I truly enjoyed the chance to interact with the attendees and other artists. It afforded me ample opportunity to tell others the story behind my photograph.

Opening reception brings many attendees interested to see the 40+ works on display in the Phinney Center Gallery

During the evening affair, I not only sold the canvas print (thank you!), I was also asked numerous times, “what is this thing, exactly?”

While I knew all of the details of when, where, and how I captured “Sky Light 2”—and the other three exposures in the series I showed from my hameroff.photo portfolio site from my iPhone—I completely failed on the specifics of the very object at the center of the piece.

Since that night, I’ve been searching about to try and piece together a bit more of the story. I’m happy to share (thanks to Google Maps and an online walking map of public art) I am now able to share the complete story.

The object is called the “Sealight Pavilion”. It is a public art installation in the Docklands of Melbourne, funded by a group led by Monash University. Designed in 2012 by architectural students from the university, and built with reclaimed timber, the work is meant to be “a place to meet, to escape the elements or to simply witness the passage of time.”

The Docklands is an area of fairly recent urban renewal, situated near the central business district of Melbourne city. Like many similar places across the world, the Docklands is a mash-up of modern, contemporary (and expensive) real estate and repurposed buildings from the districts prior life as a transportation hub).

Sealight Pavilion

“Sealight Pavilion” is one of a number public artwork installations you can find as you stroll through the Docklands, and exemplifies this connection between past and present Melbourne.

I happened upon it during a full-day walkabout that took me across nearly the entire city, toting my trusty FUJIFILM X-T2. Not entirely sure what to make of the structure, failed to take any photos from the outside. I immediately felt differently once walking into the “tower”.

One of the first things you’ll notice is this public artwork has long served as a canvas for the “art” of the public.

"Nik Heart Ben" Captured by Ian Hameroff

Nearly the whole of the interior is covered with graffiti. Nothing spectacular; mostly names and snapshots of people’s relationship status sans Facebook.

What really caught my attention was the view whilst looking up and out the opened top of the tower. Thanks to both the time of day, perfect Southern Hemisphere fall weather, and a little bit of luck, the exposures almost began to capture themselves.

"Sky Light 1" "Sky Light 1" Captured by Ian Hameroff

"Sky Light 3" "Sky Light 3" Captured by Ian Hameroff

Each of the series of three may look very similar, but as the person who purchased “Sky Light 2” pointed out to me: “every time you look at it, you find another new thing hidden in the woodwork.”

“Sky Light 2” (and the others) are also a solid reminder to me that, as a photographic/visual artist, the best captured exposures may not be right in front of you. Always look up, look down, look out, and look around (as, the Yes song “It Can Happen” says so well), as you might not realize the best shot is still to be found.

You can see “Sky Light 2” on display until October 18th at the Phinney Neighborhood Association’s “Phinney Center” in the PhinneyWood section of North Seattle. More details on the show and location can be found by visiting: https://www.phinneycenter.org/arts/

Sweet Tooth Show - Select PNW Exposures on Display at the Nutty Squirrel in Magnolia /  by Ian Hameroff

Starting today, a selection of some of my most popular photographs will have an opportunity to be your proverbial cherry on top of a wonderful, sweet treat sojourn to the PNW’s very own Nutty Squirrel Gelato shop in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle.

This award-winning proprietor of “expertly crafted...local-centric Italian ice cream” also extends their hometown artisanal flavor (see what I did there?) by welcoming in featured local artists to exhibit in their locations. I was fortunate enough—thanks to my long-time friend and fellow visual artist Sydney Davis—to be invited to hang a number of my exposures in one of their four locations for the month of August.

Building off my successful show—“On Black and Blue”—last Fall at Stretch and Staple, but sticking to a more local(ish) theme, I tapped into my catalog to put on offer exposures I’ve captured in the PNW.

All wrapped and stacked for the journey to Magnolia.

As I shared in my “about the artist” placard displayed at the Nutty Squirrel:

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) offers an amazing array of subjects, from natural beauty, to signature architecture, to even the most common place objects. This exhibit features selections from across the PNW, captured during the period of 2009-2017.

PNW exposures hung up around the awesome Magnolia Nutty Squirrel Gelato shop, as known as “Nutty HQ”

I am also using a mixture of media: a number of canvas prints, a few metal prints (which really make things pop!), and a couple of prints I matted and framed.

Canvas prints. Metal prints. Framed prints. And, a bag full of tricks to get them all up on the windowed walls of the gelato shop.

Here’s a sampling of a few of the exposures you’ll see if you swing by:

  • Portico Ceiling (24” x 16” Canvas print) - I captured this exposure while visiting the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, WA in August 2014. I personally love this shot. It’s a great reminder that the best view may not be the most obvious one or right in front of you. In this case, you’d need to look straight up as you stood outside the entrance of our state’s Legislative Building. The depth and detail can really draw you into the photograph.

  • Pike (18” x 12” Metal print) – Capture in 2009 at the Pike Place Market, and is part of a larger series of nighttime neon signs I photographed. On the advice of the guys at Stretch and Staple, I printed this one on metal, and boy does it make it pop! The blues and reds stand out, and the subtle reflection gives it a three-dimensional feel.

  • Greenwood Sunset (10” x 8” Framed print) – A more recent print of an exposure captured whilst looking off the back side of our house in 2013. I printed these on luster photo paper that added a bit of relief to the image. The texture combined with the colors makes it almost appear to be an oil painting. I paired this one with a similar shot from a different time of day to show off the natural beauty of the PNW.

These three along with the rest of my displayed works are available for purchase.

If you find yourself in “the Village”—as Magnolia’s business district is know to the locals—please do swing by and let me know what you think. You can find the Nutty Squirrel at: 2425 33rd Ave W Unit: B, Seattle, WA 98199