Goldmine at Panopticon

"Untitled" from Wheat Series, 2010 archival pigment print by Neal Rantoul

One of the best things about viewing a gallery show, in contrast to a museum exhibit, is that you can entertain the notion of actually purchasing a piece of original artwork.  And one of the best things about the just-opened “Summer Group Exhibition Extravaganza” at Panopticon Gallery is that there is plenty here that one might want to own.  Judiciously assembled by gallery owner Jason Landry, the show features the work of over twenty artists whose efforts are illuminating the Boston art scene in a timely and refreshing way.  Here are some of my favorites.

“Imperial Sand Dunes, CA #2” 20”x30” 2010 archival pigment print by Neal Rantoul

Neal Rantoul’s majestic sandscapes combine intricate detail and sweeping perspective to create images on a grand scale.  His breathtaking compositions are inherent to Rantoul’s stunning technique. But just as vital to all his work is a reverence that invites lengthy contemplation.  It is no wonder that Rantoul’s work is held in the collections of museums like the MFA, Boston and Bibliotheque National, Paris.

“Tasmanian Devils” 2010 archival pigment print by Larry Pratt

Larry Pratt’s colorful images are fanciful and lyrical.  Dramatically side-lit dancers create imposing designs with colored lasers against dark natural landscapes. Pratt’s pieces are as carefully composed as they are playful, to beautiful effect.  To his credit, all the mindful crafting and arrangement do not overwhelm his work.  Rather, Pratt’s images seem like sophisticated, often celebratory, sonatas.

“Yellow Suit” 15"x15” 2012 archival pigment print by Suzanne Revy

Suzanne Revy invites the viewer to look at mundane scenes, such as a patio set or indoor swimming pool, with an altered perspective, often that of a child placed in the foreground, back to us, gazing into the scene.  Utilizing selective focus, directed lighting and sometimes lens distortion, she creates a circumscribed viewpoint.  With images at once eloquent and innocent, Revy seems to be asking the viewer to question, or at least ponder, one’s point of view.

“Stacked Records 6” 16”x20” 2009 gelatin silver print by Glen Scheffer

Glenn Scheffer uses film to transform another old analog friend – the record album – into visually stunning 16×20 gelatin silver prints.  In this series, he has arranged album cover spines into regularly-spaced, repetitive patterns. Utilizing camera angle and dynamic tonal contrast, he constructs a variety of abstract landscapes.  Taking such a familiar and personal item and transforming it into something with the perceived scale of  a building or a mountain is superbly dramatic.  Scheffer’s images are beautiful in the purest sense.

“Veil” 11”x14” 2012 gelatin silver print by Orianna Reardon

Newly harvested from neighboring New England School of Photography, Orianna Reardon is the “emerging artist” featured in this show.  She presents black & white self-portraits, half of which were made in the studio with a 4×5 camera and film and half of which were made with an old Polaroid SX-70 and “Impossible Project” film, in an ambitious and successful departure from digital methodology.  In ways that vary with her technique, each work asks questions about the extent to which we shape our environment or are shaped, hidden or engulfed by it.  I was especially drawn to “Veil” (2012), an 11×14 gelatin silver print, which owes much of its nuanced allure to Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” or DaVinci’s “Mona Lisa”.  With antique lace covering her head and shoulders, Reardon’s enigmatic and compelling gaze engage the viewer, and even seems to change with one’s distance and angle of view.  Is the sitter trapped in her world or is she using her veil to view us on her own terms?

Endearingly nervous and unpolished, Reardon is completely articulate in her own medium, where it counts.  As a working portrait photographer (but not an artist), I was impressed by Reardon’s artistic and technical sophistication. Her ability to engage issues of identity without crossing the line into heavy-handedness shows great promise.

"Forest Fire" 2010 archival pigment print by Larry Pratt

Kudos to the visionary Mr. Landry for doing his part to bring the Boston photography scene to its deserved next level.  In the process, he is indeed making Panopticon Gallery a center for discovery, as well as a mecca for photography lovers and collectors.

"Adam's Shoulders" 15"x15" 2011 archival pigment print by Suzanne Revy

Panopticon Gallery is located in the Hotel Commonwealth, 502c Commonwealth Avenue in Kenmore Square, Boston.  The summer show runs through September 11, 2012.