Artsy Mondays
Thanks for joining me for Artsy Mondays!
First of all, before I welcome today’s special guest, I want to reiterate a few things about InFocus Photography Exhibit & Awards.
COVID-19: INFOCUS PHOTO EXHIBIT UPDATE
As the curator of InFocus Photo Exhibit & Awards, I have been honored to share excellent Canadian photography for the past six years in multiple exhibition venues, all with the mission of promoting and celebrating emerging and established photographers. It has been a wonderful ride.
Little did I know that this year’s exhibit would take place during one of the world’s most alarming illnesses in many years – if not decades. I am thankful that InFocus Photo Exhibit launched with a triumphant bang at the beginning of February with a fabulous opening party and lots of visitors to take in the photographs. This is certainly a year I will look back on fondly.
At the same time, with the Coronavirus COVID-19 throwing countries all over the globe into health crisis, an art exhibit is not the top priority in the hierarchy of needs. I am glad that many people had the opportunity to see InFocus while they had the chance.
INFOCUS PHOTO EXHIBIT 2020 – NEXT STEPS
InFocus Photo Exhibit will stay open to the viewing public until the conclusion of the exhibit run at the end of March.
I am not in a panic to take down the exhibit as there still remains the potential for people to see the show when passing through the Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel.
I am committed to the mission of InFocus Photo Exhibit & Awards and my team and I believe in the importance of art in stressful and traumatic times like these. Art can help us focus on our world and on each other, prompt us to think deeply, and choose bravery.
The theme of InFocus this year, 2020, is “Change.”
This is fitting. With so much going on in the world on multiple fronts, this theme rings truer than ever. We all are in a season of change in terms of physical and mental health, environmental concerns, economic shift, and family and professional transitions in light of COVID-19. Change is inescapable and inevitable, yet we cannot let this season of human history be fraught with only negatives.
Change can be good and positive.
Change can help us refocus on what we believe in and why.
Photographers hold a powerful tool in their hands – their cameras – that can be a voice for advocacy, create a record of events and people, and create a platform for reform.
This is what InFocus Photo Exhibit & Awards is all about.
I believe in the power of the arts, which is why I continue to be active in promoting artists, including painters, photographers, writers, filmmakers, and beyond.
I am honored to be the InFocus Curator, the Curator-in-Residence at the Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel and the Curator at the Multicultural Heritage Centre in Stony Plain. Curators make a huge cultural impact as the tool we hold in our hands is the power to present artwork, give it a platform, and shape the ideas presented in galleries and other spaces; ideas, then, that the public sees and experiences, helping to shape movements.
As an artist as well as a curator, I appreciate both sides of this. When it can sometimes feel impossible to have a say in the flurry of change going on around us, we must always remember that there are other ways to disseminate important messages. Art is one of those ways.
Here in my blog today I am thrilled to share an interview with a long-standing InFocus photographer, Al Dixon.
One of the great things about InFocus Photo Exhibit & Awards is that it sparks conversations. It opens up the dialogue about contemporary Canadian photography, but it is so much more. It adds to the discourse on our health, environment, and politics.
Thank you for joining me on Artsy Mondays! And welcome…
Al Dixon
Photographer Interview
When did you know you wanted to be a photographer?
I’m not sure that I could honestly say that I ever actually aspired to be a photographer. From a young age, it just always felt natural to have a camera in my hand. Some of my earliest memories involve clandestine missions to liberate my mother’s Kodak Instamatic from her purse. Occasionally, I was lucky enough to find the camera loaded with a fresh roll of film!! Whether it had film or not, I ran around snapping shots of anything and everything. That spark and passion still burns to this day.
Photo by Al Dixon
Who are the photographers and artists that have had the greatest influence on you and why?
I’ve had the great pleasure to meet, work with, and become friends with numerous photographers that I look up to and admire. First and foremost, would be Darwin Wiggett & Samantha Chrysanthou. Working with them I developed a newfound appreciation for the artist merit of a photograph, and how that can transform a good image into a great image. In addition, their open and genuine interest and desire to help others with their photographic endeavors is truly infectious. I’m also a big fan of Peter Carroll. His images have such a simple elegance about them that I feel can only be achieved when one is completely open to, and connected with, that moment in time. My good friend Drew May, a very talented visual storyteller, continues to inspire me with his dedication, persistence, and passion. I credit my dear friend, the late Roy McLaughlin, as the one that gave me the final ‘push’ to start offering workshops to share my knowledge with others. He was a frequent sidekick on many of my photo journeys and helped foster my desire to help others in their photographic endeavors.
Photo by Al Dixon
What is the inspiration behind your photographs?
The majority of my work focuses on rural life and the natural world. This stems in part from my upbringing on my grandfather’s farm. As a youngster I had a front row seat for the dedication, work ethic, and pioneering spirit that had supported many of the local family farms for several generations. With the demise of many of these small family farms, I strive to honor and celebrate this declining way of life.
“Fargo” Photo by Al Dixon
What was the most unique person or place you’ve photographed?
Actually, I would have to say mine was a project I was involved with. It was a collaboration between the Stony Plain Photo Club and the Parkland Poets, combining the two mediums. It involved the groups each selecting (10) works to exchange with the other. Each group then generated new works based off of the works they received. This resulted in the Photo Club receiving (10) poems that they then went and created (10) images that were inspired by the poetry. The Parkland Poets received (10) images that they then created (10) new poems inspired by those images. The (20) resulting photo and poetry pairings were then combined into a single work, with each contributor receiving a copy of the completed piece.
“Reflections in Blue” Photo by Al Dixon
What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?
If you want to improve your photography, I feel that it’s important to share your work. The feedback can be instrumental in advancing your photographic endeavors. The trick comes in finding that fine line between improving your photography but not swaying you from your artistic vision.
If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?
Being someone that is much more comfortable observing the world around him, I would have to pick invisibility.
“Ol’ Homestead” Photo by Al Dixon
Where is your favorite travel destination?
In all honesty, at this point my favorite destination would be anyplace that I can take my camera. There are several destinations that occupy my ‘bucket list’. These include the Faroe Islands, Iceland, UK, and the Oregon coast.
When you’re not photographing, what are your favorite hobbies?
I’m a very avid reader, however, I must confess to becoming addicted to audiobooks. There’s just something about being able to enjoy a great ‘read’ while on the road.
“McCormick” Photo by Al Dixon
What do you most enjoy about being a part of InFocus Photo?
To me, there is a sense of community surrounding the exhibition. Getting to meet so many different photographers of all different genres is amazing. The exposure gained by the photographers is fantastsic.
Where can people find you online?
Website: www.aldixonphotography.com
Facebook: @AlDixonPhotography
Instagram: @Al_D_Photo
Twitter: @Al_D_Photo
“Frozen Glow” Photo by Al Dixon
More than just photography.
It’s Art
Joyful. Unique. Fun. Memorable. Modern.
Alexis Marie Chute is an Edmonton, Alberta, Canada based wedding photographer with two decades of experience.
Wedding photography packages begin at $6500 CAN + GST and include high resolution digital images and second-photographer.
Contact: info@alexismariechute.com or 1-780-499-4311.
Booking one to two years in advance.
Wedding Photo by Alexis Marie Chute
Wedding Photo by Alexis Marie Chute
Wedding Photo by Alexis Marie Chute
ATTENTION ARTISTS!
OPEN CALL
Video Art: Modern Artmaking in Moving Images
July 22 to September 9
NOTE: Call open to video art to be shown in the gallery in the exhibition, AND short to medium length films to be screened on an evening during the exhibit.
Art of the moving image, the manipulated video file, the creation of a film-based art piece, and artistic presentations through video. This exhibition will challenge our perceptions on what constitutes art, how we view and consume media, and how we can engage with film in whole new ways.
Important Dates:
Apply by Monday, June 8, 2020.
Acceptance confirmation by Monday, June 22, 2020.
Deliver artwork on Saturday, July 18, 2020.
Exhibition dates: July 22 to September 9
Opening reception on Thursday, July 23, at 6:00 to 8:00 pm.
Pick-up artwork on Saturday, September 12, 2020.
Full submission details. Click here.
Stay tuned for all my “calls for submissions” for artwork.
Subscribe to my e-newsletter to have these opportunities sent right to you.
“Fortitude”
$1,375.00
Original artwork to bring your home to life!
Artwork Description:
- This piece is from the “Joy + Passion” painting series
- 2018
- By Alexis Marie Chute
- Acrylic on canvas
- 32×32 in, framed
