Member News: Margaret Paris

FISH AS LIFE: PHOTOGRAPHIC SCANNER PRINTS BY MARGARET L. PARIS OPENS FRIDAY, OCT. 1 AT GALLERY 10

Keeping up with the latest photographic techniques, photographer Margaret L. Paris is exhibiting manipulated scanner prints of fish at Gallery 10 from Friday, Oct. 1 through Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010. Her portfolio, Fish as Life, a suite of 16 inkjet prints, were inspired by the skeletal and textural beauty of a fish that was revealed during a daily meal. Paris chose to explore her subject matter further, delving into more observation and creating vibrant images that move beyond biological inspection and transcend the notion of death. The prints are sold both as a portfolio set, and a few are open for individual print sales. Six of the images have been printed on fabric hangings.

Artists throughout the centuries have painted and photographed fish, usually in the context of still life, where the meaning of the fish was often steeped in traditional symbolism. When viewing Paris’ work it is easy to contemplate the idea of these long established associations, or to muse over the relationship of fish to our eco-system and to our own survival. The artist acknowledges, “I present the fish image for metaphysical contemplation.”

With a grant from Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. (2008), and the expertise of a retinal technician at the National Retina Institute, who photographed the retinas, and other sections of her fish, Paris was not limited to one snap of the shutter to create her image, she layers and enhances her works like a painter, adjusting and choosing to form compelling images that capture your gaze and demand further
observation.

One of the more striking images in the exhibition shows a mackerel with a brilliant red interior line that adds a visceral intensity to the image. The impact is heightened when this seemingly hand-drawn element is created from blood that has naturally pooled on the scanner bed. Paris strives to show not only external forms of fish but also the inner life workings in order to draw attention to the living pulse of fish and human alike. A 40-page catalog ($25.00) of the artist’s work will accompany the exhibition.

Paris, a career artist with roots in abstract painting, taught at Duke Ellington School of the Arts for over 20 years. She has exhibited extensively locally and nationally, most recently in North Carolina where Fish as Life was noted as a “Best Bets” in the Durham News. Paris received an MFA and BFA from the University of North Carolina in painting, and took specialized courses in Photoshop at the Corcoran College of Art and Montgomery College.

Gallery 10 is located at 1519 Connecticut Ave., NW, (2nd floor between the two storefronts of Kramer Books). Accessible by Metrorail’s Red Line, Dupont Circle stop, Q Street exit. The gallery is open from 12 noon to 6 PM, Wednesdays through Saturdays. http://www.gallery10dc.com/