LOS ANGELES, Calif. /New York Netwire/ — Calumet Gallery announces “Edge of Thought,” a thematic exhibition from fine art photographer James Maxwell. A native of Tennessee now residing in Pismo Beach, Calif., Maxwell is an artist who works at several levels: sculptor; innovative architect; and as a photographer who is equally at home with digital printing as well as alternative photographic processes using a traditional wet darkroom.
“Edge of Thought” is an exhibit (March 5 – April 5, 2013; 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Mon.-Sat.) of twenty-one diffuse, ethereal images. Using film, and recording images on the edge of the visual light spectrum, Maxwell strives to portray the subterranean content of the mind and the moment just before perception crystallizes into conscious awareness. The goal is not to document “reality” as perceived by the artist, but to evoke an awareness of multiple potential realities in the viewer.
Maxwell employs various techniques to achieve the desired effect, including a dreamlike diffusion of light, the grainy texture of the film, the choice of materials on which the images are printed, even a layered doubling of certain translucent images which are then backlit, so that a sense of mystery permeates throughout.
When asked about the how and the why of his work, Maxwell speaks of his own curiosity about how different perceptions of reality can arise from different personal histories, different spiritual beliefs, different cultural outlooks, even different neurological cognitive conditions or a deeper understanding of quantum physics.
Maxwell recalls a world altering experience of his own: “I must’ve been just shy of a year’s age when my father handed me a small blue ball, a sphere which seemed large in my infant hands. When I placed one of my hands on the far side of the ball, I suddenly and irrevocably added the third dimension to my awareness. I remember gasping from fear and delight simultaneously.” As he later stated: “Things are not necessarily what we believe we are seeing, so I try to get to a reality beyond what is visible.”
Viewers of his photographs can sense his architectural and sculptural skills at work in the manner in which each image demonstrates a deft ability with space and light: “I enjoy leading the eye of the viewer through an experience of spatial relationships and light, both in my architectural work and in my photography.”
Marie Mazur, manager of Calumet Gallery, will host a Celebration Reception, open to the public, for the “Edge of Thought” exhibit from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on March 8, 2013. The artist will give a talk at 6:30.
“Maxwell’s work,” Mazur said, “is indicative of the depth and breadth of photography exhibits that Calumet presents. We invite the public to explore this exciting work and to enjoy an interesting talk with Mr. Maxwell.”
Contact Information: info@bobkillen.com.
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