Lauren Frances Fiebert says, "Reading this theme: Confronting Mortality touched my heart as it caused me to reflect upon my own lifetime experiences, which resonated with my inner feelings.

Being raised Catholic, I interpreted death through the means of religion. Attending both Mass and Sunday school, it taught me that the afterlife and the ceremonial ritual of a funeral was common place due to the environment I was raised in. These early years would be my understanding of death and what I thought was the foundation of how I've come to understand mortality and my own moral compass.

At the age of 15 I truly understood the magnitude of mortality as it was looking at me directly in the eyes for the first time.  It was this point in life I experienced my first grave loss, the loss of my grandfather to gastric cancer, his passing was a milestone that caused a new train of thought when it came to human transience. Sitting by my grandfather’s bedside in the living room, I felt his hand grow cold. In this moment, the 15-year old version of me had no words, just an empty pain in my chest. I just sat there, frozen in the nightmare and observed my grieving family.

Reflecting on this moment, I've come to appreciate the end of suffering and the importance of support when another is weak. The memories of visiting my grandfather in assisted living while he battled Alzheimer’s and the helpless feeling after losing my best friend to a drug overdose has taught me to listen and value time with my loved ones. Learning not to fear it and grow from it taught me how to celebrate life and grow from hardship.  It is the understanding of mortality for me that has become the appropriate foundation for transformation and restructuring of myself the best I can, while I can.

My own personal experience of confronting mortality is something that exists and is both unchanging and unstoppable. Rather than hide from it, I’ve found it is something that needs to be embraced for it is simply part of life."

Lauren Frances Fiebert is an artist, often using figures and landscapes to portray her vision through photography primarily. She specializes in performance photography using a variety of alternative process, experimental techniques, and digital photography. Her tone is often determined by the state of her spirit and thoughts. She often finds inspiration through personal experience, literature, history and music.  

https://www.laurenfrancesfiebert.com 
IG:LaurenFrancesFiebert

Laurie Blakeslee says, "For more than four decades, my mother-in-law Fritz has been gardening the same plot of land (approximately an 1/8 acre) behind her home in Boise, Idaho.

Her children say they can hardly believe she maintained such a huge garden when she worked full time. Despite their protests to scale back the ambitious planting, each year the garden seems to expand. In the tremendous heat of late summer, even Fritz will admit she is overwhelmed by the work. Fortunately, my partner Stephanie shares her mother’s love of gardening and works alongside her. Fritz’s passion for gardening began at a young age. She won 4-H prizes for her vegetables and received a cultivator as an 8th grade graduation gift. She was born during the Depression, and her family valued the soil of their backyard garden.

As a young girl, gardening was a way to please her mother by growing food for the family, as well as an escape from family tension. Today not only does this garden provide food for her family (and her lucky neighbors), but it also allows a space for meditation through the ritual of daily maintenance.

It is clear that as Fritz, now in her mid 80s, grows older this garden provides a way to maintain her vitality. With the series “40-Year Garden” I am photographing a garden in all its seasons of transformation and the beauty of Fritz with her resilience and determination."

Laurie Blakeslee was born in 1963 in Renton, Washington, but has lived most of her adult life in Idaho. She received a BFA from Boise State University with an emphasis in painting and an MFA in photography from the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Laurie is currently an Associate Professor of Art at BSU, where she teaches photography and coordinates the undergraduate Art Foundations program. Her photographs have been exhibited across the United States and most recently at Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, OR; Davis Orton Gallery, Hudson, NY; and at the Prichard Art Gallery, Moscow, ID

www.LBlakeslee.com

laurieblakeslee@boisestate.edu
 

Review by curator Jane Szabo:
"Leslie Sheryll’s photo Louisa and Baby II, Mourning Tears, is presumably a found photograph that the artist has adorned with color and embellishments. It is a quirky image that crosses the centuries, connecting past and future generations."

Leslie Sheryll says, "My series “Mourning Tears” confronts death in a way that might seem morbid today.  People of the 19th century confronted death directly. Most died at home and family prepared the body for burial. Recordings of loved ones during life was rare as the photographic process was fairly new. Therefore, it was not morbid or unusual to pose living family members along with the deceased as a way to remember them as part of the family.

The images here are all original post mortem tintypes (photographs of the dead) which I have scanned and altered. Prior to the invention of the photograph the rich would sometimes hire an artist to paint a posthumous painting of the deceased. Often the artist would incorporate symbolism of the time such as flowers, color, fabric, and objects, as a way to comfort those left behind. 

Here I have added the symbolism of the 19th century posthumous painter to the post mortem tintype, which could at times be unsettling in it’s harsh reality, as a way to ease the pain of loss and to comfort those left behind. Death was a constant threat during the 19th century. It was common for babies to remain unnamed during their first year of life because of high mortality rates. In contrast, today we expect to live a long life and have further distanced ourselves from death. 

I believe can learn something from our ancestors on the subject of death. We are all mortal and we need to acknowledge that life is fleeting. We need to embrace our loved ones in life and to remember them in death.

I grew up in New York, and though I now live in Jersey City I consider myself a New Yorker.

I received my BFA in photography from Kansas City Art Institute. My work explores male/female relationships in a phallocentric society. I appropriate & digitally alter 19th century tintypes, predominantly of women.
Along with photography I create cross stitch pieces also relating to women’s issues.

In the past I have created work dealing with the environmental waste of plastic bottles and cans through photography and installation art. I also design jewelry. 

Career Highlights:

In October I will be included in The Barcelona Foto Biennale, I have won the 10th Edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards For Woman.Photographers in the alternative process category and was a finalist of the 7th and 8th Edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards For Women Photographers.

Recently I was awarded the Grand Prize Winner selected by Darren Ching of KlompChing Gallery in conjunction with NYC4PA. My work has been shown in numerous group shows in the United States and Europe."

www.lesliesheryll.com
leslie.sheryll@gmail.com

Lisa Wahlander says, "I take photographs of myself to mark the passage of time, to connect with nature and to come to terms with my biological existence. It gives me solace to see myself as no different from any other plant or animal. It helps remind me that I can never own anything, not even my body; it’s all on loan from the universe. It’s all a part of the greater scheme."

Lisa Wahlander (b. 1981) is a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist and choreographer. She sees the human body as biological site, inextricable from nature, embedded with multiple identities and interdependent on all life forms. She cultivates both planned and spontaneous choreographies, and her photographs serve as temporal artifacts of these energetic happenings. Her imagery often conjures metaphysical notions of liminality, transformation and impermanence. 

She has performed at many museums, galleries, theaters, and unconventional performance spaces including The Getty, LACMA, Hauser & Wirth and The Hammer Museum. Lisa holds a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures/Dance from UCLA. She served as the Martial Arts Coordinator and Videographer for Nickelodeon's animated television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender and as an Arts Educator for the Skirball Cultural Center. Her photographs have been published by Hyperallergic, The Getty Villa, and REDCAT. Lisa has presented her choreography at the the Hammer Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, REDCAT, and Pieter Performance Space.

www.lisawahlander.com

Instagram: @lisa_wahlander

For inquiries please contact elwahlander@gmail.com
 

Lisa Wahlander says, "I take photographs of myself to mark the passage of time, to connect with nature and to come to terms with my biological existence. It gives me solace to see myself as no different from any other plant or animal. It helps remind me that I can never own anything, not even my body; it’s all on loan from the universe. It’s all a part of the greater scheme."

Lisa Wahlander (b. 1981) is a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist and choreographer. She sees the human body as biological site, inextricable from nature, embedded with multiple identities and interdependent on all life forms. She cultivates both planned and spontaneous choreographies, and her photographs serve as temporal artifacts of these energetic happenings. Her imagery often conjures metaphysical notions of liminality, transformation and impermanence. 

She has performed at many museums, galleries, theaters, and unconventional performance spaces including The Getty, LACMA, Hauser & Wirth and The Hammer Museum. Lisa holds a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures/Dance from UCLA. She served as the Martial Arts Coordinator and Videographer for Nickelodeon's animated television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender and as an Arts Educator for the Skirball Cultural Center. Her photographs have been published by Hyperallergic, The Getty Villa, and REDCAT. Lisa has presented her choreography at the the Hammer Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, REDCAT, and Pieter Performance Space.

www.lisawahlander.com

Instagram: @lisa_wahlander

For inquiries please contact elwahlander@gmail.com

Lisa Wahlander says, "These photographs were taken just before sunset, after studying the light in my house over the course of two years. I take photographs of myself to mark the passage of time, to connect with nature and to come to terms with my biological existence. It gives me solace to see myself as no different from any other plant or animal. It helps remind me that I never can own anything, not even my body; it’s all on loan from the universe. It’s all a part of the greater scheme."

Lisa Wahlander (b. 1981) is a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist and choreographer. She sees the human body as biological site, inextricable from nature, embedded with multiple identities and interdependent on all life forms. She cultivates both planned and spontaneous choreographies, and her photographs serve as temporal artifacts of these energetic happenings. Her imagery often conjures metaphysical notions of liminality, transformation and impermanence. 

She has performed at many museums, galleries, theaters, and unconventional performance spaces including The Getty, LACMA, Hauser & Wirth and The Hammer Museum. Lisa holds a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures/Dance from UCLA. She served as the Martial Arts Coordinator and Videographer for Nickelodeon's animated television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender and as an Arts Educator for the Skirball Cultural Center. Her photographs have been published by Hyperallergic, The Getty Villa, and REDCAT. Lisa has presented her choreography at the the Hammer Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, REDCAT, and Pieter Performance Space.

www.lisawahlander.com

Instagram: @lisa_wahlander

For inquiries please contact elwahlander@gmail.com
 

Lisa Wahlander says, "I take photographs of myself to mark the passage of time, to connect with nature and to come to terms with my biological existence. It gives me solace to see myself as no different from any other plant or animal. It helps remind me that I never can own anything, not even my body; it’s all on loan from the universe. It’s all a part of the greater scheme."

Lisa Wahlander (b. 1981) is a Los Angeles-based interdisciplinary artist and choreographer. She sees the human body as biological site, inextricable from nature, embedded with multiple identities and interdependent on all life forms. She cultivates both planned and spontaneous choreographies, and her photographs serve as temporal artifacts of these energetic happenings. Her imagery often conjures metaphysical notions of liminality, transformation and impermanence. 

She has performed at many museums, galleries, theaters, and unconventional performance spaces including The Getty, LACMA, Hauser & Wirth and The Hammer Museum. Lisa holds a B.A. in World Arts and Cultures/Dance from UCLA. She served as the Martial Arts Coordinator and Videographer for Nickelodeon's animated television series, Avatar: The Last Airbender and as an Arts Educator for the Skirball Cultural Center. Her photographs have been published by Hyperallergic, The Getty Villa, and REDCAT. Lisa has presented her choreography at the the Hammer Museum, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, REDCAT, and Pieter Performance Space.

www.lisawahlander.com

Instagram: @lisa_wahlander

For inquiries please contact elwahlander@gmail.com
Titles of photographs:
 

Review by curator Jane Szabo:
"Luke Jordan’s powerful diptych Bill and Jane tells the story of loss. And in spite of the weight of the story, I find myself I am amused by the subtle parallels between this pair of images - the subjects seated at a banquette or similar setting, the abstracted forms in the background, and the general symmetry of the images; all tools that keep me looking.

The damaged, old photograph speaks to the demise of the subject, and the gesture of the woman on the right completes the narrative."

Luke Jordan: Talking to Myself: A Conversation with Images Posted to Facebook and Instagram, Prompted by the Occasion of My Mother’s Death.

"I try to post images to Instagram and Facebook on a regular basis (phone pics almost exclusively) and I prefer not to write much (if anything at all). These platforms have provoked me by creating threads and grouping images in ways that I might night have imagined otherwise. For me, this stream of images is a bittersweet reminder and reconstruction of recent events." 

Mini-bio:
Born: Highland Park, MI, 1957
First thirty years (approximately): Michigan, Detroit, Ann Arbor
Next thirty years (approximately): Lawrence, Kansas
Luke Jordan has taught at the University of Kansas since 1988, and currently he is a Lecturer and Academic Program Associate in the Department of Visual Art, KU School of the Arts. He has been an active artist and teacher since receiving a BFA in Art and an MFA in Photography from the University of Michigan, and over the years, his work and effort as an artist and a teacher have become inextricably linked.
His research is concentrated in photography and video, and in making work he has explored a range of issues, media, processes, and technologies. In addition to traditional darkroom and digital processes, his experience includes large format color photography, video installation, alternative/historical printing processes, and pinhole photography; more recently, he has thought a lot about Instagram and the influence Social media are playing in shaping photography. 

In addition to teaching, Luke works at the University of Kansas Spencer Museum of Art as a Specialist in Photography/Works of Art on Paper, providing his expertise to the SMA program known as Walk-Ins Welcome Fridays, and consulting on other issues related to photographs and the history of photography. Luke has also been the staff photographer for the KU University Theatre since 1997.

https://luke-jordan.format.com
lukej@ku.edu
 

Review by Curator Jane Szabo:
"Mara Zaslove’s Return to Nature is a wonderful photo montage that beautifully illustrates the final cycle of life, returning to earth, becoming one with the soil, and being poised to sprout again as flowers in a meadow."

Mara Zaslove says, "My photographs are entries to my soul, connecting the intangible to the tangible through light, time and memory. Using natural light to capture what I feel in my heart and my eyes, taking photographs has become as essential to me as breathing air, and in some ways, has evolved into my sixth sense. I thrive on creating visual conversations that embrace the universality of aging, childhood, life on the street and how “human beings” impact the natural world.

Growing up with a father who was a fine artist, I was surrounded by his work and sensibilities. His influence made a profound imprint on me and I often find myself mirroring his visual style. I innately respond to form, patterns, shapes and composition and find that this early exposure permeates my sense of balance and style.

As my photography has progressed, I have been drawn to capture the human stories set in natural environments. Either candid or anticipated, I seek to convey a uniqueness particular to each individual that invites the viewer to explore their own life's path with that of the subject documented."

Born in Burbank, CA, Mara Zaslove received a BA in Dance and Sociology at U.C. Berkeley and later, received a Teaching Credential at U.C.L.A. After teaching Elementary School, she completed her M.A. in Counseling and Guidance from Cal. State, Northridge and became a licensed M.F.T., most recently working with emotionally disturbed children.

Her lifelong interest in photography allowed her to teach special needs children at a variety of institutions and was a volunteer photographer for the Inner City Arts program. In addition, she was the Staff Photographer for Diavolo: an internationally renowned dance company based in Los Angeles.

Mara's photographs have been featured in numerous exhibitions. Most recently, her work has been included in “15 Personal Projects” at LACP; 2017 exhibition: “Photo Shoot” at Black Box Gallery: 2017 International Nude Art Exhibition through Fusion Art; SE Center for Photography 2017 Open Exhibition; 2017 California Open at the TAG Gallery; 1st Annual Photographic Competition and Exhibition 2017 at L.A. Art Core; 2017 exhibit “Water and Sky” at bGGallery/ Bleicher Gorman Gallery at Bergamot Station, as well as a Finalist in the 8th Julia Margaret Cameron Award held in Berlin in 2016. She is an active member of the Los Angeles Art Association and LACP. She lives and works in Santa Monica. 

2018 Exhibitions/Group Shows:

My photo(s) were selected to be in the online February: Beauty/Beautiful issue of F-Stop Magazine.
“Circle of Life,” my hand-made circular weaving, was accepted for “Trappings:” an all media exploration of textiles in contemporary art. Juried by Robert Benitez, MOAH:CEDAR curator. The exhibition opens at Gallery 825 in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 10, 2018 and runs through March 9, 2018.
Mara Zaslove was chosen as an “Artist Spotlight Solo Art Exhibition winner.” She will receive a one month solo exhibition on the Fusion Art website for her series “Aging Gracefully.” The gallery will promote Mara and her work for the entire month of her exhibition. In addition, one of her images will be invited to be included in the annual group show that is held each year in the 2018 show in Palm Springs, CA.
My series “Don't Bring Me No Rocking Chair” (Aging Gracefully/Life-cycle) was a finalist in the 2018 Gala Awards: Women Seen By Women part 3.
My image, “Self-Help” was selected by jurors: Jane Szabo and Greg Cobarr for the 2018 2nd Annual LA Artcore Photography Exhibition.
Out of 922 works, the juror: Fabian Debora selected 110 pieces for the 2018 LA Open Exhibition. My images, “Demi Plie” and “Self Help” were both included.
My image, “A Joyful Vision” received 3rd Place in the Chromatic Awards International Photo Contest: Nude Category.
My photo, “Hanging Out” was selected by the juror: Alix Sloan for the all group media show “Bunk” at Gallery 825.
My photo, “I See You” was selected to be exhibited in “Wonderland Grayscale” at BG Gallery shown at the FM Gallery.
My image, “Sand Shoal” was on the media cover and selected to support CASA of Los Angeles.

More information on her photography can be seen on her website at www.marazaslove.com

Marna Bell says, "When our memories distort and fade over time we can look to our belongings to help fill in the blanks of our elusive past. My current series, "Mementos", was inspired while visiting the home of a childhood friend. The ambience of the morning light illuminated and transformed the precious objects in her home, giving them a new kind of presence. 

My series slowly evolved, after visiting estate sales. Photographing heirlooms and personal property of deceased strangers helped me to try to understand loss. Although these objects and spaces are filled with anonymity and sadness, each object reflects a personal history that was left behind."

Marna Bell is an award-winning American photographer whose work has been featured in international publications, solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries, including Clarion State College, the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, Munson Williams Proctor Arts Inst., Utica, NY, and Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY. She received a New York State Council of the Arts Grant and a Ruth and Harold Chenven Foundation award, and has been featured in Black and White magazine. Her book, “Hudson Past/Perfect” is in Howard Greenberg’s Gallery in New York City. Bell received a BFA from Pratt Institute and an MFA from Syracuse University in painting.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:

Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, B.F.A., Art Education
Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, M.F.A., Painting

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2014  Passages in Time, Edgewood Gallery, Syracuse, NY
2013  Imperfect Memories, Light Work, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY
2011  Light Work Juried Members Exhibition, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 
2008  Air and Water, Rome Art and Community Center, Rome, NY
2007  Cycle of Life – Green Lakes, The Warehouse Gallery, Syracuse, NY

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2018 Journeys Past and Present, Edgewood Gallery, Syracuse, NY
2017  2nd Annual Photography Contest, Photoplus Expo, Javits Center, New York, NY
Inspiring the Positive, The Healing Power of Art, Manhattan Arts Intl. online gallery
2016  Made in New York, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY
Landmarks, Albany International Airport, Albany, NY
2015  2nd Open Call Juried Photography Exhibition, Peter Miller Fine Art, Providence, RI
Manifestation & Ambiguity, Gallery 4040, Syracuse, NY
Made in New York, Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, NY
Focal Point Q1.15, Crusade For Art, Online Exhibition

PUBLICATIONS, COLLECTIONS, AWARDS, COMMISSIONS & GRANTS

2017  Photo Review 2017 Competition Issue, The Photo Review
2016  Stone Canoe 11, Syracuse University Publication, Syracuse, NY
Upstate University Hospital, Community Campus, Permanent Collection, Syracuse, NY
2015  Verso, Crusade for Art Online Auction
Focal Point Q1.15, Crusade for Art Online Publication
iGavel Photography Auction, Daniel Cooney Gallery
Photo Review 2015 Competition Issue: Five Amusements , The Photo Review

www.marnabell.com

Mykel Rose says, "Photography has played an integral role in my career. Early on, I used it mainly to take reference photos for my illustrations. It wasn't until I bought my first digital camera in 2001 that I used it as a vehicle to tell stories, much the same as I had been doing with illustration work.  I found it to be a new challenge and one that still proves elusive to master.   

As an avid traveler, photography is a welcome companion, one that can open doors and initiate interactions.  More importantly, it provides me with a visual account of my travels that I can share with others.

I live in Los Angeles and work as an animation art director/visual development artist on projects in America and Asia.

Currently, my photos are on display in Venice, Italy, and Athens, Greece."

www.mykelrose.com     www.instagram.com/mprose1

Image: Departed- A Chicago family follows the casket of their deceased patriarch in a funeral procession.
 

Image: Dirge- A young dancer participates in the Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) ceremonies at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary, Los Angeles.

Image: River- Relatives carry a woman's body to the Bagmati River in Kathmandu, Nepal for a cleansing ceremony prior to cremation.
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