The "WINDOW"
I was honored to be invited to participate in the
Memorial Art Gallery's
"ART REFLECTED"
I selected a painting by Walter Goodman "The printsellers window"
I knew from the beginning that I wanted to make a piece dedicated to
displaying only one small special image.
As if I purchased a piece from the printseller in Mr. Goodman's painting,
and then designed and built a piece to display and share it with others.
above is:
One of numerous pages from my sketch book.
I selected to start fabricating the second form right on top.
The piece is supported
by a cast concrete pillar.
The curved panel is made from solid Wenge.
90' high 17.5" wide 9" deep
The image which can easily be changed is presented in the window on an easel.
A LED light above
The B&L magnifying glass is placed similar to the way it
was casually sitting near the painting of Ruskin.
Window Inspiration
I was immediately drawn into the space in The Printseller’s Window by Walter Goodman and intrigued
by the twelve images portrayed on the cards in the foreground of the painting. I was curious to know
who these individuals were, what they represented to the artist, and what they had in common.
In the course of reading The Printseller’s Window by Peter Ogden Brown, I discovered that the individuals
on the cards were some of the most accomplished painters, artists, book illustrators, sculptors and engravers
of Goodman’s time; his friends, colleagues and mentors. This feast of visual information provided
the inspiration for my piece: the transformation of a window of many to a window for one.
Fascinated with the information that the cartes de visite were the forerunners to today’s business cards,
I decided that this size would be perfect to display an object or an image. I continued to contemplate
Mr. Goodman’s time, when photography was threatening the art world, and how he turned the tables,
as they say, by creating paintings of the photographic cartes. WOW! That’s added value, as we say today.
The small display in Window was designed to present one special illuminated image to share with others.
Although a collector could change the image often, I was in search for one special image to display for this
exhibition that had a connection to painting and photography.
I then picked up an article in the Democrat & Chronicle by Sean Lahman about Mr. Bryce Bayer,
a researcher at Eastman Kodak who is widely considered The Father of Digital Imaging for his identification
of the photo sensor array for RBG, (known as the Bayer Filter) an integral component in all digital camerasand smartphones we use today. The article included a reduced, carte-sized image of Mr. Bayer’s lab notebook
showing the photo sensor array. The connection between the past and the present was made. This provided
the inspiration for the image displayed in Window.
Mr. Bayer’s contributions to imaging led me to think about Rochester’s reputation as the Imaging Capital of the World.
I decided to recognize and celebrate the ingenuity, imagination and creativity of these contributions in Window.
Mr. Bayer’s notebook page is reproduced using a Xerox digital printer. As in The Printseller’s Window,
a magnifying glass is provided for the viewer to examine the carte in closer detail. The magnifying glass displayed
was designed and manufactured by Bausch & Lomb.
I would like to thank Democrat & Chronicle writer Sean Lahman, Ken Parulski and Christopher Veronda of
of Eastman Kodak, and Kathy and Ayer’s Printing for their generosity and assistance
