Connie Imboden at Pine Street Art Works 2007

This year our featured artist is Connie Imboden, world renowned photographer from Baltimore, whose work is in the permanent collections at the Museum of Modern Art, The Biblioteque Nationale in Paris, and other important art institutions. It is an honor to be able to show her work here in Burlington.

Connie's work is like nothing else I've seen. In photographic terms, it is all about light, reflection, surface, and composition. Exactly what photography is about. Imboden's work is photography for people in love with the medium.

Because Connie Imboden shoots from under the water in a lit, black bottom swimming pool, the images that the lens sees and and the film captures are like nothing we are used to observing. Similar occular distortions appear in her mirror photographs. Curious doublings, splittings, reflections, make Imboden's final images look eerie and unworldly. Beautiful and grotesque, compelling and repelling at one time. Because we are not used to looking from the underwater or shattered glass perspectives, much less with lights and the capabilities of lens and film, it is hard to decipher the images. The familiar and the strange overlap.

Like The Night Mare and The White Mare, Imboden's photographs call forth deep terror and life affirming beauty. It all depends on what the viewer sees. And that, for me, is the most remarkable thing about Imboden's work.

I first saw Connie's work as a slide show and lecture she presented to an audience of photographers and photography students at The Maine Photographic Workshop. While I and some others were literally gasping in delight and amazement at the power and energy of the photographs, I noticed that some people around me seemed upset or frightened. The images had called forth powerful reactions from all the viewers. Everyone was talking animatedly as we left the lecture.

The models of Imboden's photographs are people posing in a pool. By themselves, they are doing nothing extraordinary. And yet. because of Imboden's vision and technique the images become something else. Something powerful indeed.They become a vehicle for the viewers own emotions.

The work will be on view until the end of September.

This year for the hop, we will host the great gals from Flashbags for a Flashbags Boutique in our Salon (aka the back room). Ali Marshaldon and Laura Cheeney will be here with a vast array of Flashbag products. They will, however, be wearing clothing.

Pine Street Art Works and Flashbags have been associated since the beginning of both businesses. Images from several PSAW artists and shows are available as bags and accessories, including Cara Barer, Liza Cowan and Paint By Number.

Christy Mitchell and Paul Larson taping Paint By Number for Art Express

The Paint By Number Show has been a huge success. We sold 23 paintings and were taped for TV twice. Jack Thurston from WCAX TV in Burlington did a piece on the show for the news. Then Paul Larson from Mountain Lake PBS spent a day taping here for his arts magazine, Art Express. That show will be aired later this year. Tune in to see how we look in hi def widescreen TV.

The remaining Paint By Number pieces will be on view and for sale in the Salon (aka the back room) for the rest of the year.

Don't forget they make excellent presents.