It was an honor to be invited to present a solo show of my photography at Quick Silver Photo Lab. This was in 2019. A strategize session on Valentines Day with Cate in 2020 went very well, complete with a delicious slice of cake across the street at Pure Bliss.

But then, well...you know. Things Covid happened. 

So... here we are into 2022 and my solo show is now happening! 

The theme is Cutlery. 

While it is a revised version of what I originally thought I'd present, I am super excited about it

Artist Statement: Here is the game I play. One may wash dirty cutlery only AFTER the last clean spoon has been used. Allow said “wash me” cutlery to assemble ever so artfully on the bottom of reflective stainless steel sink. Pause occasionally to observe random, pleasant and rather artful arrangements of forks, spoons and knives. Post an image of “oh look at that.” observation on Instagram. 

I began social distancing long before the pandemic. I am very good at the blur of lost time and nothingness. I treasure home and it’s subtle visual celebrations. Is a collection of dirty cutlery at the bottom of my kitchen sink pandemic behavior? Not really. It’s more about me avoiding the task of washing them. It’s the quirky part of me. Or a little game I play to avoid tedious day to day tasks.

The work before you is a collaboration between myself and Cate at QuickSilver Photo. Our goal was to highlight similar themed photography with different types of photo processing. 

Bio: Karen Hanrahan found her way to WA State in her mid-50's after living most of her life in the midwest. She has grown children, a cat, she loves road trips, scratch cooking and anything made out of glass. She lives small in less than 300 square feet and values light, quiet and privacy. 

Karen thought of herself as a closet creative for most of her life. To her, that meant she wasn’t officially an artist.  As of late, Karen is out of the closet creatively and feels like an artist each and everyday! She is captivated by the image stories around her. This has her taking way too many photographs! Self taught, and utilizing a simple point and shoot camera, Karen works intuitively. Her image capturing style is described as organic, up close, and authentic. Most say that her images are narrative. She likes that! 

Karen also makes quilt like mixed media pieces out of paper. Her materials are gifted or found, which keeps her making very low cost and sustainable. While she has been a collage artist for over 25 years, it wasn’t until 2016 that she began to show and sell her work. Both her photography and collage work has shown in galleries all over the country. Karen teaches others the creative subconscious mind collage process. 

Below is how we decided to represent the collection:

Framed Poster - 20x24

Framed 11x14 on Washi Paper - More and more artists are turning to digital printing as a part of their production, and so are looking for more interesting surfaces to print on than the standard digital papers available. Washi can be that surface. The subtle liveliness of the fibre shows through the ink with softer results, and because washi is generally more absorbent than western papers the paper and ink appear integrated rather than the ink sitting on the surface. 

Shadow Box Framed - 8x8 Metal

4x6 Prints For Sale