Are you interested in the evolving art form of photography? Then “Photography for a New Time” is for you. This new fine art photography exhibition will feature work by artists from the Photographic and Digital Artists (PADA) group, one of eight groups affiliated with the Palos Verdes Art Center (https://www.pvartcenter.org). Fifteen award-winning artists (including two new members) will showcase their latest work, filling two spacious galleries at Los Angeles Harbor Arts (formerly The Loft, https://www.laharborarts.org) beginning August 7.

The show’s theme, “Photography for a New Time,” is a bellwether of the growth within this group of artists, whose focus has always been to craft photo-related work that resonates purely as art. But this show is more than simply a presentation of some new artworks. It is also a nod to the fact that PADA is animated by a desire to embrace new tech, new members, and new ways of seeing the art form of photography.

The visual beauty of Lynn Doran’s Boys at Sunset exemplifies light’s transformative power. At the same time, the arches of a Kyoto aqueduct evoke a nested mandala design in the painterly Doorway Mandala, Nanzenin Temple by Tim Truby.

As South Bay’s premier art photography group, PADA is arguably the most recognized, with a history of invitations to a wide range of gallery shows, both local and national. Most participants regularly enter contests such as the Orange County Fair or international competitions. Over 80 of their images have received an actual award instead of simple acceptance into the contest.

Metaphor, James Michael Knauf’s vivid image of the rusting S.S. United States in Philadelphia evokes the ocean liner’s former grandeur and now sadly atrophied American shipbuilding prowess. She made her final journey earlier this year, destined to become an artificial reef. Meanwhile, on a trip to the LA flower mart, Bob Francis captured a white Anthurium in this subtle, quiet composition, Two Anthurium.

On a trip through the Kern River Valley, Judy Herman photographed several scenes with her trusty iPhone, then made them more painterly in post-processing, altering the colors freely. Rocky Cliff Along the Kern is among those creations.

Most PADA members have been chosen for one or more Palos Verdes Art Center shows (which is unsurprising since PADA is affiliated with the PV Art Center). However, the members also have many other premier local and national art shows in their resumes. PADA artists have been in over 280 gallery shows collectively, including 11 solo shows. We don’t know of any other South Bay photo group with this track record.

To capture Panning Curl & Gull, Reidar Schopp panned the camera while photographing the surf, following the curl as it moved down the beach. In Jewelry Case, Robert Gideon created this unique image of a display case in Old Town Pasadena, part of his Remnants series that seeks to reconcile two disparate worlds: thoughtful, interior, private, contrasted with the public, exterior, and expansive; the commonality between them as well as their shared boundary, a thin pane of glass.

Three Rivers is part of Ariel Swartley’s series Hunting Magic, which refers both to investigating shadows and empty spaces and to the spirits sought and invoked (what we like to call magic) by the earlier inhabitants of the desert canyons in New Mexico and California. Michael Cinnamond’s Miss P is a semi-abstract single exposure macro lens capture using sunlight and paper to depict a woman looking for perfection.

Other works in the show include Entering…The Glow by Margie Rust and The Missing Cloaks by Rodney Boone.

Storm by Doug Magill and Igor Vavrik’s Moab in Motion, a breathtaking view from the iconic Slickrock Trail in Moab, Utah, showcasing the vast expanse of rolling Navajo sandstone under a clear desert sky.

These are just a sampling of the works in the show. Palos Verdes Pulse readers interested in the continually evolving art form of photography, creative exploration, and excellence in the photographic and digital arts should see “Photography for a New Time.”

Details

When: August 7- September 13

Where: 4th & Mesa, San Pedro, CA, 90731

Important Dates:

· Opening Reception: Saturday, August 9, 2-5 PM

· Closing Reception: Saturday, September 13, 2-5 PM

· First Thursday, August 7, 6-9 PM