Roberta Duke and the Landscape
By Angela Romeo
The eye of the beholder is an interesting concept. Each of us has a unique perspective that explains why eyewitness accounts vary so much in detail. A photographer sees the world through their eyes filtered by a lens. A photograph captures a unique moment in time – as it can never again be. Roberta Duke is adept at using her eye in conjunction with the lens to create memorable landscapes.
Roberta’s works are vivid colors of what surrounds us all. Her landscapes are familiar yet ethereal. The work is a series of contradictions that create an everlasting impression.
“My journey is to capture the emotions I feel at a moment. With photograph that moment is eternal. The passion of photography happens when I am able to combine my talents in transforming the composition of incredible lighting and matter provided by Mother Nature. I must focus on the execution of this photo image before it fades into a distant memory for all time. I am in constant search for the story that never ends.”
Roberta’s journey began in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Roberta graduated from Ohio’s Bowling Green State University in 1968 with a degree in education. After teaching physical education for five years, she moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It was in Florida that Roberta transformed herself in an artist. She went back to school to study Interior Designer. In 1985 she opened a showroom in south Florida’s Design Center. Eventually she began creating her own furniture designs to be manufactured in Italy. Another life change brought her closer to her artistic self. January 2000, Roberta sold the business, married and for two years traveled in a motor home throughout United States and Canada with her husband Jack Jennings. All the time Roberta soaked up the beauty of the landscapes they visited.
In 2003 Roberta began to paint her beloved landscapes in acrylic and oil. At first her Photography was mode to inspire her painting but soon Roberta saw the photos were, in and of themselves, an art form. “Since the principles of a good painting or a good photograph are similar, this pairing was natural for me,” noted Roberta.
“I love the spontaneity of Mother Nature; love lives inside our hearts, happiness is captured when time and place stand still and we become one with Mother Nature’s glory. When this happens I experience excitement, passion and love that I am compelled to share.”
For her piece entitled Red Sunset Over Joshua Tree, caused Roberta to reminisce on the experience. “The second evening of shooting at Joshua National Park, the sun went below the horizon, the wind picked up considerably and the temperature started dropping. Suddenly menacing clouds turned the most amazing reds, oranges and pinks, she stated. “I forgot how cold, hungry tired I was, as I composed and shot this photo.”
Roberta’s love for her art, and the arts, is immense. “Because of my devotion to photography and my desire for others to experience the warmth and love that photos inspire, proceeds from photographs will be donated for scholarships to the College of the Desert. Through Education, Everyone will have Access to a Positive Future,” she stated.
Roberta’s exhibition opens December 9 at Colliding Worlds Fine Art Gallery, 68895 Perez Rd, Suite I 13, Cathedral City CA. Her work is also shown at ART IS Gallery and Cultural Center, Westfield Mall, Palm Desert.
For more on Roberta’s work visit: www.robertadukefineart.com.
