By Angela Romeo
Joshua Tree Art Gallery continues to bring compelling exhibitions to the area. December is no exception. A two-person show will feature the works of Painter Marcia Geiger and Photographer Paul Morehead.
“A photographer once said ‘Painters can create a composition any way they desire. Photographers have to work with what’s already there,’” said Paul Morehead. As a photographer Paul does not just work with what is there, he transforms it. Paul’s work captures the landscape, finding the deep beauty that exists.
“I always ask myself ‘What am I attempting to capture within this image?’” continued Paul. “The answer to that question, combined with the infinite variety of circumstances, helps me determine what techniques could best be used to present this vision.”
“Painters and photographers face the same challenge of creating the illusion of three dimensions within a two dimensional space. To help create this slight of eye and facilitate the viewer’s immersion in the image, we use the same tools. Color that recedes in the minds-eye as it goes from warm to cool shades; Perspective, where painters may create their own vanishing lines and photographers get to accentuate what’s already there by changing the camera’s angle to the subject and its relationship to the surroundings. Focus, or the lack of it, is used by both styles with equal effectiveness. Contrasting areas of dark and light are used to create space where there is none. Some capture it in pigments and others in film, chips and algorithms.”
Painter Marcia Geiger grew up on a farm near Cozad, Nebraska. She studied Commercial Art at a community college in the early 80s. But her artistic soul felt unfulfilled. After several years of traveling, Marcia came to Joshua Tree in 1989. In 2005 she returned to painting and joined Joshua Tree Art Gallery in 2010.
“People seek out the desert for many reasons, and it never fails to make a change in them,”said Marcia. “The same could be said for those who come out to live in this welcoming yet unforgiving climate. They are at once free to break from the rules of conformity from which they have escaped, even as they are absorbed into the very soul of the desert.”
Her work captures the sites of the high desert – things we see and somehow, we politely ignore. Like Paul, Marcia transforms her subject. She elevates those sites into things of beauty. “I moved to the Joshua Tree area in 1989, and have been painting, exploring, and discovering the desert’s secrets ever since,” Geiger said.
“In the end,” noted Paul, “it’s all about light. What does the light have to say and how may we engage and delight the viewer?”
The show opens December 8 with an artist reception from 5 pm to 8 pm.
For more information visit Joshua Tree Art Gallery (www.joshuatreeartgallery.com). The gallery is located at 61607 29 Palms Highway, Joshua Tree CA. To learn more about Paul Morehead visit paulmorehead.com. To learn more about Marcia Geiger visit geigarts.com
