Opening Reception Tonight!
6-9 pm
“Metallics: Photography by Janna Bissett”
Featured at Farmington Hills City Gallery
January 15 – February 26
A new collection of inspiring photographs by artist Janna Bissett will be the first 2010 feature at the Farmington Hills’ City Gallery, beginning January 15, and running until February 26. A “meet the artist” public reception will take place on Friday, January 22, from 6:00 – 9:00 pm in the lobby; refreshments will be served. The City Gallery is located at the Costick Center, 28600 W. Eleven Mile Road, Farmington Hills. The gallery is open during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and during special events held at the center. Hope you can make it!
Here is a list of the photos and the thoughts behind them:
1. Swallowed No. 1
Crossing over different mediums can bring about an unexpected result. We are often swallowed by the feelings we have, and the goal ahead seems obscured.
2. Puppets
With someone else pulling the strings, we feel out of control. Sometimes it is a boss telling you what to do, and other times it is more subtle, such as the pressure we put on ourselves.
3. Puffs
Decayed flowers, ordinarily overlooked, are beautiful when they represent enduring. They seem almost like portraits of people rather than discarded flowers.
4. Sisters
The “wrappings” symbolize how constricted we can feel sometimes in our ordinary lives. We get so wrapped up in day to day details that it can feel almost suffocating. The expression they have reveals their true, beautiful nature beneath.
5. Found Army Man
This discarded toy, found on the beaches of Traverse City, represents the dangers of forgetting our soldiers abroad. We are all fascinated with toys from our childhood, but often forget that which they represent.
6. Queen Anne’s Lace
Often forgotten remnants of human existence appear everywhere. A path that leads to nowhere, a remnant of a flower bed, or a field of Queen Anne’s Lace. Gone but not forgotten by nature.
7. Swings
The highs and lows of our lives are reflected in our creations. A playground for us as a child represents a memory of distant past for us as adults. Sometimes the best memories we have hold the power to bring us sadness.
8. Dandelion Puff
Clinging to our roots as long as we can, we all must take off in flight eventually. Where we go is often not up to us, but how we view the journey often brings the most meaning to our lives.
9. Bicycle
Beauty can be found in many things, such as the craftsmanship of a long forgotten object. These objects have different meanings for us all. A reminder of where we’ve been, where we need to go, and what we’ve lost along the way.
10. Phone Booth By The Lake
We can hear what is being said to us, but sometimes lack the understanding to truly listen. This phone booth leads us to believe it is never too late to try, even when we are not expecting the chance.
11. Snowy Tree
The stillness in our hearts can bring us back to center. Calmness about you can bring the greatest changes, and ready you for the awakening of a new day. Only through the cold can we learn to appreciate our warmth within.
12. Tangled
Dependence on others, where one may fall, together they stand. Nature understands this idea much better than the humans that revel in its beauty.
13. Awaken
An awakening of life. Proof that through the dark and cold days of our lives, we can be born again.
14. Twisty
Surviving through harsh times is a true representation of beauty. Sometimes a trial may twist our bodies, but the ability to persevere makes us stronger.
15. Colorful Bird
Many view a colorful display as the most beautiful representation of nature. Look closely at this subject, which seems to have a better understanding of its place in the world than many of us do. Within that understanding lays the true beauty of this creature.
16. NOE
Man often tries to communicate through creation. Those creations have different meanings to those that view them, but through the process of decay, begin to lose what they were intended for.
17. Abandoned House
Discarded, broken, and covered up. We can board up our memories of the past, but there will always be remnants left in our hearts.