www.amandbarrier.com
www.instagram.com/amandabarrierphoto/
 

Jamie Riva graduated with a BFA in photography from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU in NYC where she currently resides with her husband and two children. Years later, she furthered her studies at the International Center of Photography. Since then, Jamie has participated in numerous group shows, been featured in multiple publications, published her first book "Girlhood: Lost and Found," and continues to grow her many personal, fine art, and documentary projects with great passion.

"Spiritually speaking, the Phoenix is known to declare her own death, in order to resurrect herself. She is a symbol of releasing belief systems that no longer serve us.  For the past few years as part of what I had been calling a midlife awakening, in honor of turning another year older, I have been making self portraits in nature with the intention of challenging the invisibility women begin to feel in a society that does not value an aging woman or her natural beauty. I made a self-portrait laid out on a boulder in honor of my upcoming 46thbirthday in the spirit of accepting my body’s natural process by surrendering to mother nature. In the moment, I felt empowered in my changing body, using nature to remind me that the new lines and textures time was carving out on my body were as beautiful as the ones I admired in the natural world.

What I did not realize at the time that photo was taken, was that my midlife awakening was about to take an unexpected turn into midlife crisis territory instead. I had just released a very personal book that had me feeling exposed, and so much perfectionist pressure. This, along with changing identities and transitional phases of life at home, intense hormonal shifts of perimenopause, and long untreated OCD would culminate into a perfect storm, and I would suffer a massive panic attack that would leave me forever changed. I had entered a dark night of the soul. The night of the attack, I literally left my body, and it would take a while to return. When I officially turned 46, I gifted myself a birthday session with my long time trusted spiritual advisor. She informed me that I had a powerful bird, Phoenix, who had arrived to help me recreate myself. She told me not to be afraid, and said Phoenix chose me because she brings liberation and power, and after the pain of this “cathartic healing crisis,” I would be flying. She assured me that what caused me pain gives me power, and that there is great power in knowing you can rebirth yourself over and over. Then Phoenix told my teacher friend, “She doesn’t even know it yet, but she IS the Phoenix."
 
I spent the rest of the year healing old wounds I did not know were still open, and looking fear dead in the eye. My lesson in surrender had only just begun when I took that photograph on the rock. Instead of fighting fear, I learned to welcome and embrace it. I began a deep love affair with my shadow side, and I learned to fall in love with the darkest and most vulnerable parts of myself.  It was some of the hardest work I had ever done, but eventually it became clear my crisis was actually a more epic midlife awakening than I could have previously imagined, and Phoenix was right. I was liberated and flying. A year later I returned to the same spot where I took that self-portrait on the rock. I had been wondering, should I continue the photographic birthday tradition I had started? Although I stilI stood by my previous messaging, my level of self love felt so different, and I did not want to force anything that was not true to my evolution. That’s when I looked down and discovered a beautiful dead bird, lying in a position that mirrored perfectly how I had laid my body on that rock the year before. I knew Phoenix was still with me, and acknowledging my continued rebirthing journey. 

After photographing the bird for some time on my knees in the rocks, I looked to my left and saw the pink flower that is included in this submission, growing ever upwards despite rough, rocky conditions. This flower felt like the self-portrait I had been longing for, and just so happened to be the same colors as the portrait I took in the field a week prior that I wasn’t sure worked. But nature once again would align me with my truth, and show me how to see beauty and strength in myself.  Together, they became a celebration of new growth, and like the Phoenix from the ashes, my determination to rise."
 
Images For Sale:

Surrender (The Student) - 11"H x 14"W
Archival Paper
$450 unframed
Limited Edition of 15
Signed on back

Letting Go (The Teacher) - 11"H x 14"W
Archival Paper
$350 unframed
Limited Edition of 15
Signed on back

Looking Fear In The Eye (Accepting Your Truths) - 11"H x 14"W
Archival Paper
$400 unframed
Limited Edition of 15
Signed on back

Faith (Embracing The Storm) - 11"H x 14"W
Archival Paper
$350 unframed
Limited Edition of 15
Signed on back

New Growth - 11"H x 14"W
Archival Paper
$450 unframed
Limited Edition of 15
Signed on back

47 and Rising - 11"H x 14"W
Archival Paper
$350 unframed
Limited Edition of 15
Signed on back

Contact:
Jamie Schofield Riva
jamieriva223@gmail.com
 

www.intagram.com/j.s.riva
www.jamierivaphotography.com

Jane Gottlieb:

"I have been expressing my joy of art with paint, shapes and colors since I was very young.  I started as a painter, evolved into a photographer, and eventually began hand-painting on my Cibachrome prints over 35 years ago.  Before Photoshop I found a way to express a new magical reality with the vivid, saturated and unrealistic colors 
I painted into each photographic print..

For the past 30 years I have been scanning my one-of-a-kind hand-painted prints and my library of 35mm Kodachrome color transparencies taken over the last 55 years. I paint, combine and enhance them with Photoshop, creating my own idyllic world! 

My art has been shown worldwide in many solo exhibitions including:

Butler Institute of American Art, Ohio; Carnegie Art Museum, Oxnard, CA; Laguna Art Museum, CA; Petersen Automotive Museum, LA, CA; LA County Natural History Museum, CA; Monterey Museum of Art, CA; Nancy Hoffman Gallery, NYC, NY; L’Image Gallery, Rome, Italy; Colorando Gallery, Lisbon, Portugal, Saporite Italia, Milan, MAD Gallery, Milan,
and Louis Stern Gallery, West Hollywood, CA; Wall Space, Santa Barbara, CA.  

I have also been included in countless group exhibits and Art Fairs around the world over the last 30 years, and collected by museums, foundations, corporations and individuals worldwide. Numerous magazine articles, magazine and book covers, two museum exhibition catalogues and two books have been published of my art, Garden Tales and Car Tales."

Images for Sale:

Bali High    20” x 32"
Archival dye sublimation print on aluminum. 
$ 2000
Limited edition of 10
Signed on back & front

 
Up & Up.   32” x 20"
Archival dye sublimation print on aluminum. 
$ 2000
Limited edition of 10
Signed on back & front

  
Here, There & Everywhere 20” x 32”
Archival dye sublimation print on aluminum. 
$ 2000
Limited edition of 10
Signed on back & front


Lawnbowler’s Life  16” x 32"
Archival dye sublimation print on aluminum. 
$ 2000
Limited edition of 10
Signed on back & front


Liberti   32” x 20”
Archival dye sublimation print on aluminum. 
 $ 2000
Limited edition of 10
Signed on back & front


Up & Up
Archival dye sublimation print on aluminum. 
$ 2000
Limited edition of 10
Signed on back & front

Contact-
Jane Gottlieb 
jane@janegottlieb.com

 

www.janegottlieb.com
www.instagram.com/janegottlieb

Karen Numme:

JUROR COMMENTS:

"Karen Numme's photographic collage, Destroy, Rebuild LA #23 of firefighters, electrical wires, poles, mailboxes without houses, fleeing individuals and large menacing grainy splashes of yellow and red took me back to January 2025, and the devastation that swept Altadena and the Pacific Palisades. At first, I must be honest, I could not bring myself to engage with these photographs.

They struck such a painful memory in response to so many friends who are still struggling to find their new normal without their physical past. However, as Nancy and I discussed the submitted photographs, I could see that my personal bias needed to be addressed, that Numme's photograph reminds us that rebuilding a life is an ongoing process. It takes a community to support those that have endured great losses and art helps to share this message. Numme's photographic collage puts us back into the moment of destruction and the human experience of loss. In choosing this strongly constructed photograph as the winning image of "Rebirth and Renewal" we wish to bring attention to the ongoing rebuilding and renewal that all those individuals impacted by the Los Angeles fires this past January are working through today and for the rest of their lives."
-Jurors Ellen Friedlander & Nancy A. Scherl

THE JURORS ASK KAREN NUMME:

"Destroy, Rebuild LA #23 draws one in, in spite of the trauma induced memory associated with imagery, However, this is a very sensitive subject to photograph, due to the severe loss which so many Angelenos endured and are rebuilding from in the aftermath of the fires.

Can you share with us a little bit about how personal the LA fires were for you?"

Karen Numme: "My close friend lost everything in the Altadena fires—her home, her car, her belongings, and the records of a business she had built with care—it was more than physical loss. It was the unraveling of a life she had known. It was so devasting that she closed her business. Ilistened to her over many phone calls. She wept, terrified and uncertain, asking questions no one could easily answer: Where will I go? What now?
In the chaos, she found the strength to keep going, renting a temporary house while trying to chart a path forward. Her courage in the midst of devastation reminded me It was important to me to document the catastrophic fires in my work, which is still ongoing."

Jurors: "Did you montage images from your archives or were they actual images taken during the LA Fires?"

Karen Numme: "The images I montaged are my photos of architecture and urban elements I previously shot as well as images taken specifically for this series. In addition, I incorporated images of the live raging fires from the televised news. "

Jurors: "The complexity of your image addresses and mimics rebuilding, rebirth and renewal. It is so layered and holds so much power. Would you speak more about the significance of specific elements within the photograph: the mailboxes, the telephone lines, the fleeting men on the right side and the silhouette of the fireman on the left side."

Karen Numme: "In the photograph I used these specific elements to tell the broader story of the destruction caused by the fires and unspoken yearning to rebuild. Mailboxes and telephone lines—ordinary yet essential tools of neighborhood communication—are often among the first things lost by the wild fires wrath, along with lush vegetation, cherished homes, and the urban fabric that all surrender to ash. Fires do not discriminate. Amid the scorched ruins I chose to enlarge one of the firefighters to emphasize the vital role they play as not only guardians of trees and timbers but of memory and the pulse of the community trying to hold on."

Jurors: "Having an architecture background, can you talk a little bit about your ideas for rebuilding to not only preserve the essence, the look of what has been destroyed, but also how you envision rebuilding to now make everything more fire resistant and safer for all?"

Karen Numme: "I am not a practicing architect and I don’t feel qualified to answer this question which demands much more research."

MORE ABOUT KAREN NUMME:

“I seek to evoke a sense of urgency, resilience, and the shared responsibility Los Angeles, a city of constant transformation, now stands at a crossroads—its built environment scarred by devastation, yet held together by the unwavering dedication of those who fight to protect and restore it. Destroy-Rebuild LA is a series of composited photographs that capture this pivotal moment, honoring both the city’s architectural legacy and the resilience of its people.

As an artist with a Master’s degree in Architecture, my work is deeply rooted in an understanding of space, structure, and the emotional imprint of the built environment. My concern for preservation and respect for urban landscapes has intensified in light of the recent destruction LA has endured. This series reflects both the physical and symbolic rebuilding of a city that holds an undeniable cultural and historical significance.

Each image in this series juxtaposes destruction with reconstruction, placing figures—first responders, workers, and protectors—within fractured yet hopeful landscapes. These individuals embody the relentless effort required to safeguard the city’s essence, navigating the delicate balance between loss and renewal. By layering multiple elements in my compositions, we have in shaping the future of Los Angeles.

Destroy-Rebuild LA series is not just a documentation of crisis but an artistic tribute to those who refuse to let the city fade. Through these images, I invite viewers to reflect on their own connection to the urban environment and to consider the role we all play in its survival and transformation.”

Karen Numme was raised in New York and relocated to Los Angeles after residing in New York, Boston, and Washington, DC. She has consistently pursued visual arts, earning a Landscape Architecture degree from Harvard University and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of New Mexico. Her background in both fields significantly shapes her perception of her surroundings. Her early artworks consisted of monochromatic collages made from metal, plexiglass, and spray paint drawings that examined light and particles in space.

Her preferred medium has naturally evolved towards photography. Utilizing an iPhone and post-processing techniques, she explores light and space by creating environments through reflections and composites. Karen's early artworks and photography have been exhibited in galleries, museums, and publications in the United States and Europe. 

Exhibitions and publications include:
Tati Space Gallery – Albania, Blank Wall Gallery – Athens, Greece, APA Magazine – Photography Winner Award (Series),
The Hand Magazine – Issue #37 Full Page and Shadow and Light Magazine – B&W Issue Mini Portfolio Winner.

Images For Sale:
   
Contact:
Karen Numme
knumme13@yahoo.com

 -------------------------------------------------
There are still many different ways that you can help those affected by the fires, here are just a few of them specific to artists/photographers: 
www.gofundme.com/f/donate-to-la-photographers-impacted-by-fires

www.armoryarts.org/support/fire-relief

Donate photography gear here:
www.AltadenaPhotographers.org 
 

www.karennummephotography.com
www.instagram.com/karennummephotography

Kathryn Dunlevie:

"I have long observed that far too many of us are susceptible to self-doubt, insecurities and inhibitions. With these "Femmes Futuristes" I want to inspire a jettisoning of such limitations, and a transformation of the self, where qualities and attitudes are chosen freely, independent of societal norms and familial pressures.

I start with my photographs and snippets of ephemeral printed matter. Selecting bits and pieces, I construct figures whose poses suggest a sense of empowerment and possibility. Next, I situate them in venues where they are free to create their own narratives. 

These figures are viewed as if with x-ray vision - their patchwork interiors hinting at what they might have lived, their silhouettes offering clues as to how they have proceeded through time. They model a new energy and the prospect of a brighter future. 

I hope we will all move forward with them, piecing together the best fragments of our personal histories and living our lives with daring authenticity."

Kathryn Dunlevie has always been intrigued by spatial and temporal inconsistencies, and by every individual’s particular and shifting sense of what is real. Fragmenting, reassembling and layering images, she suggests the fluidity of space and time, and the complex psychologies of the entities she portrays.

Born in Atlanta, Dunlevie lived in six different states by the time she was 12, and in Paraguay when she was 16. She has a B.A. in fine arts from Rice University and studied art history and film at the University of Paris, painting at California College of the Arts, and photography in Madrid. 

She has received numerous awards and fellowships, including two Arts Council Silicon Valley Artist Laureate Fellowships. Her work has been exhibited in China twice at the Pingyao International Photography Festival, in Moscow with the US Art in Embassies Program, at Toronto’s Gallery TPW, and in the United States at FotoFest International, San Francisco Camerawork, PhotoAlliance, the Southeast Museum of Photography, Washington DC’s Art Museum of the Americas, and the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose.

Her work has been reviewed in Spain’s La Fotografia Actual, Korea’s photo +, and in Germany’s Profifoto, as well as in Camerawork: A Journal of Photographic Arts, Visual Art Source, and AestheticsToday.blogs.

www.kathryndunlevie.com
www.instagram.com/kathryndunlevie

Leanne Trivett S.: "I am a visual artist that uses photography to narrate and construct identity in self portraiture and experimental florals, to delve into the abstract, and to capture interplay of details and color in the realm of emotion.

Drawing inspiration from my theatrical and vocal performance background, I strive to explore and connect psyche, spirit, ego, and soul: creating current characters with personal and dynamic stories.

I like to capture scenes from my play, and I also like the out takes. It is my desire to connect to the viewer in a meaningful way by exploring multiple sides of me: the light and dark, the quiet and the movement, and the smooth and textured. I use my camera and eye for detail to visit the complicated fringe of my personality and my relationships.

Every photo I take is a part of my curiosity and “double” inner world. I seek a connection to self and the audience in that space of duality, building a bridge through emotion and humanity. All of my imagery is created by personal photographs that I take with my cameras. I often use creative techniques like blur, ICM, layering, and multiple exposures in and out of camera for my work."

Leanne Trivett S. is an award winning photographer and visual artist using her personal photographs to explore experimental self portraiture, florals, and the emotional abstract.

She graduated with a BFA in Theatre from Tisch School of the Arts at New York University in NY, NY. Her background in musical theatre and her experience performing as a professional singer have inspired her creation of characters and self expression through images and photography.

She is best known for her colorful and current self portraits and her work with florals. Leanne’s award winning artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally in venues like the Los Angeles Center for Photography, the Griffin Museum of Photography in Boston, CfPA in Carmel, CA, KFF FotoFest 2024 in Karuizawa in Japan, Millepiani Gallery in Rome Italy, BRAHM Museum in Blowing Rock, NC, PH21 Gallery in Budapest, Fotonostrum Gallery in Barcelona, Spain, etc.

Her Work has been published and can be seen on the cover and in several issues of Art Ascent International Magazine, Humana Obscura, Monochromica, Inside Sacramento, ARTDOC Magazine winning the Silver Award for her Florals, feature and cover in SHOTS Magazine, cover of Dodho Magazine with interview, in Barcelona and recognized for Monochrome, Color, Portrait, and Fine Art Awards in 2022, 2023, 2024, interviewed and featured in for Women United ART MAGAZINE and a solo show, published in several editions of Black & White Magazine, and in multiple special edition exhibition books.

She was chosen as the Winner of the EMERGE 2024 Fellowship Award and Winner in Portfolio Platform 2024/2025, and has done solo shows featuring her project Pisces Dipped in Fantasy.. Winner and Honorable Mention for The 18th, 20th, and 23rd Annual Julia Margaret Cameron Awards for Women Photographers in Barcelona Spain for 2022, 2023, and 2024, Refocus Award for COLOR in Conceptual Photography, placed second in People and Portraits for Digital Photo 2022, received honorable mention in the ND Awards, etc.

She is currently teaching at Santa Fe Workshops, Chicago Botanic Garden, Pacific Northwest Art School on Whidbey Island near Seattle, and giving Art Talks on Zoom in such places as the UK and Chicago.

She spends her free time traveling and creating in her artist studio near Asheville, NC. All of her imagery comes from photos she takes with her cameras, and she often uses creative techniques like blur, ICM, layering, and multiple exposures in and out of camera for her work.
 

www.LeanneTrivettSphotography.com www.LeanneTrivettSphotography.com www.instagram.com/leannerockstar

------------------------------

REBIRTH AND RENEWAL HOME:
https://laphotocurator.com/rebirth-and-renewal-ellen-friedlander-nancy-a-scherl


FIRST PLACE:
https://laphotocurator.com/rebirth-and-renewal-ellen-friedlander-nancy-a-scherl/first-place-karen-numme-destroy-rebuild-la-23

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
https://laphotocurator.com/rebirth-and-renewal-ellen-friedlander-nancy-a-scherl/honorable-mentions-mara-zaslove-seeking-nature-lela-edgar-secret-ash-jamie-riva-47-and-rising-kathryn-dunievie-the-jump-vicky-stromee-capturing-the-light-4---/1

BEST SERIES:
https://laphotocurator.com/rebirth-and-renewal-ellen-friedlander-nancy-a-scherl/best-series-leanne-trivett-s-self-portraits/1

EXHIBITION #1:
https://laphotocurator.com/rebirth-and-renewal-ellen-friedlander-nancy-a-scherl/exhibition-1/1

EXHIBITION #2:
https://laphotocurator.com/rebirth-and-renewal-ellen-friedlander-nancy-a-scherl/exhibition-2/1