REBIRTH AND RENEWAL- Ellen Friedlander & Nancy A. Scherl > Exhibition #2
Exhibition #2
Lela Edgar/Sacred Ash
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
Lela Edgar/Ritual of Renewal
Lela Edgar/Crown of Silence
Lela Edgar:
"My Sadhu series was photographed at this year's Kumbh Mela in India, one of the largest spiritual gatherings in the world. These portraits capture ascetics who have renounced worldly life in pursuit of inner awakening. To me, they reflect the essence of renewal—not through material transformation, but through radical surrender. This is how they live. What I saw in their presence was stillness—an invitation to reflect on what we hold onto, and what we’re willing to release. In that space, the possibility of rebirth begins. I’m a Los Angeles based photographer and documentary storyteller drawn to themes of resilience, transformation, and human dignity. With a background in psychology and a deep interest in spiritual life.
My work includes series on acid attack survivors in India, Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and AIDS orphans in Kenya. My work has been published by Bustle, POPSUGAR, and Global Citizen, and shown in galleries internationally. I’m always looking for stillness and vulnerability—moments that speak without needing explanation."
If viewing on a computer click on arrow to see more of Lela Edgar's work and continue to the group exhibition
"My Sadhu series was photographed at this year's Kumbh Mela in India, one of the largest spiritual gatherings in the world. These portraits capture ascetics who have renounced worldly life in pursuit of inner awakening. To me, they reflect the essence of renewal—not through material transformation, but through radical surrender. This is how they live. What I saw in their presence was stillness—an invitation to reflect on what we hold onto, and what we’re willing to release. In that space, the possibility of rebirth begins. I’m a Los Angeles based photographer and documentary storyteller drawn to themes of resilience, transformation, and human dignity. With a background in psychology and a deep interest in spiritual life.
My work includes series on acid attack survivors in India, Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and AIDS orphans in Kenya. My work has been published by Bustle, POPSUGAR, and Global Citizen, and shown in galleries internationally. I’m always looking for stillness and vulnerability—moments that speak without needing explanation."
If viewing on a computer click on arrow to see more of Lela Edgar's work and continue to the group exhibition
Lela Edgar/The Offering
Lela Edgar/Stillness on the Ghats
Mara Zaslove/Seeking Nature
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
Mara Zaslove/A Door to Beauty
Mara Zaslove/Following the Light.
Mara Zaslove:
"This image highlights my personal experience with aging. There are bumps and bruises along the way, but I continually find myself moving forward with a buoyant attitude. My walks in the morning, tending to my garden or just watching my patio hummingbirds all infuse me with joy. Having been a dancer, the figure in these images merges my youthful self with my current, more limited physicality. Drawing from my past fluidity and moving forward, I accept this inevitable shift and adapt as needed. Living in the present and embracing the beauty around me continues to uplift me. The less one resists change, the more potential for "rebirth and renewal".
Mara Zaslove is a fine art photographer who thrives on creating visual conversations that embrace the diversity of the human spirit, the universality of aging and the beauty of the natural world. Her background as a therapist informs her photographic work and brings a heightened sensitivity to how she perceives the world.
It also assisted her in developing coursework to teach photography to typical and special needs children at a variety of institutions.
Mara has acted as a volunteer photographer for the Inner-City Arts program as well as the Donna Sternberg Dance Company. She also served as the Staff Photographer for Diavolo, an internationally renowned dance company based in Los Angeles.
Her photographs have been exhibited in juried group shows both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Los Angeles Center for Photography, Gallery 825 (LAAA), Photo LA, Griffin Museum and the SC Center for Photography. She has had multiple images posted on YourDailyPhotograph.com and has received numerous awards including Finalist and Honorable Mention in several categories of the 11th-25th Annual Julia Margaret Cameron Awards.
She has been published in F-Stop Magazine and Shadow and Light Magazine on many occasions. A grouping of her images taken of the performance 'Mending' by the Donna Sternberg Dance Company were published in the L.A. Dance Chronicle.
Several of her images have been included in the book titled "California Love - A Visual Mixtape" curated by Michael Rababy. She has also been interviewed about her journey as a photographer which has been published in Voyage LA.
Images for Sale:
Seeking Nature - 14"H x 11" W
Archival paper
$350 unframed
Limited edition of 12
Signed on back
Contact: Mara Zaslove
zaslovemara@gmail.com
Following the Light - 14"H x 10" W
Archival paper
$350 unframed
Limited edition of 12
Signed on back
Contact: Mara Zaslove
zaslovemara@gmail.com
A Door to Beauty- 14"H x 12" W
Archival paper
$350 unframed
Limited edition of 12
Signed on back
Contact: Mara Zaslove
zaslovemara@gmail.com
www.marazaslove.com
www.instagram.com/marazaslove4
"This image highlights my personal experience with aging. There are bumps and bruises along the way, but I continually find myself moving forward with a buoyant attitude. My walks in the morning, tending to my garden or just watching my patio hummingbirds all infuse me with joy. Having been a dancer, the figure in these images merges my youthful self with my current, more limited physicality. Drawing from my past fluidity and moving forward, I accept this inevitable shift and adapt as needed. Living in the present and embracing the beauty around me continues to uplift me. The less one resists change, the more potential for "rebirth and renewal".
Mara Zaslove is a fine art photographer who thrives on creating visual conversations that embrace the diversity of the human spirit, the universality of aging and the beauty of the natural world. Her background as a therapist informs her photographic work and brings a heightened sensitivity to how she perceives the world.
It also assisted her in developing coursework to teach photography to typical and special needs children at a variety of institutions.
Mara has acted as a volunteer photographer for the Inner-City Arts program as well as the Donna Sternberg Dance Company. She also served as the Staff Photographer for Diavolo, an internationally renowned dance company based in Los Angeles.
Her photographs have been exhibited in juried group shows both nationally and internationally in such venues as the Los Angeles Center for Photography, Gallery 825 (LAAA), Photo LA, Griffin Museum and the SC Center for Photography. She has had multiple images posted on YourDailyPhotograph.com and has received numerous awards including Finalist and Honorable Mention in several categories of the 11th-25th Annual Julia Margaret Cameron Awards.
She has been published in F-Stop Magazine and Shadow and Light Magazine on many occasions. A grouping of her images taken of the performance 'Mending' by the Donna Sternberg Dance Company were published in the L.A. Dance Chronicle.
Several of her images have been included in the book titled "California Love - A Visual Mixtape" curated by Michael Rababy. She has also been interviewed about her journey as a photographer which has been published in Voyage LA.
Images for Sale:
Seeking Nature - 14"H x 11" W
Archival paper
$350 unframed
Limited edition of 12
Signed on back
Contact: Mara Zaslove
zaslovemara@gmail.com
Following the Light - 14"H x 10" W
Archival paper
$350 unframed
Limited edition of 12
Signed on back
Contact: Mara Zaslove
zaslovemara@gmail.com
A Door to Beauty- 14"H x 12" W
Archival paper
$350 unframed
Limited edition of 12
Signed on back
Contact: Mara Zaslove
zaslovemara@gmail.com
www.marazaslove.com
www.instagram.com/marazaslove4
Olivia Gelick/Untitled 1
Olivia Gelick:
"Chrysalis is a body of self-portraiture that follows my personal journey through grief, healing, and transformation after the unexpected and tragic death of a student in my college community. In the months following this loss, I found myself accompanied by a monarch butterfly. Through research, I discovered that monarch butterflies represent rebirth, a fitting metaphor for my emotional journey during this time.
Though I never knew the young man whose life was taken, I felt a quiet, almost spiritual connection to him in the wake of his passing. The monarch's presence in my life during this period felt symbolic of his spirit, offering me silent company as I navigated my grief. As a result, I chose to dedicate Chrysalis to him—not as a way to claim ownership over his memory, but as a gesture of honoring the collective experience of loss and healing that we all go through when someone is taken too soon.
The work reflects not only my own transformation but also my belief that healing is an ongoing process of becoming—just as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, we too are capable of renewal. It is my hope that through this work, those who encounter it can find their own moments of peace, knowing that the journey from grief to healing can lead to new growth and possibility.
In this series, I intentionally obscure my face in every image, allowing viewers the opportunity to see themselves in the work. Grief, loss, and transformation are universal experiences that touch everyone at some point. By not fully revealing my face, I invite the viewer to step into the space of the image, offering them a chance to connect with the emotions and reflections that arise from their own experiences of loss. Through this, I hope to convey that while the pain of loss is deeply personal, it is also something shared by all.
The use of natural light in Chrysalis is also a reflection of the work's origin from the Greek word "chrysalis," meaning "golden." Just as the chrysalis is a stage of growth before the emergence of something new, the light in my work evokes the possibility of a brighter, healed future, even in the midst of sorrow.
In the end, my work reflects this truth: just when the caterpillar thought its life was over, it became a butterfly. Chrysalis is an exploration of this process of transformation—where, even in our darkest moments, there is potential for growth, renewal, and a new beginning."
Olivia Gelick is a photographer whose work explores themes of loss, healing, transformation, and rebirth. Through the lens, Gelick captures intimate moments of emotional vulnerability and strength, examining how personal and collective experiences of grief can lead to profound change.
Drawing inspiration from both visual and narrative storytelling, Gelick's photographs invite the viewer to engage with the quiet but powerful processes of emotional renewal.
A graduate of Ithaca College with a degree in Cinema and Photography and a minor in Art History, Gelick combines technical skill with conceptual depth to create images that transform everyday moments into reflections on the human experience.
Gelick's work has been exhibited in Picture This! at the Handwerker Gallery in Ithaca, NY (May 2023), where their photo book Hope All Is Well On Your End! (2022) was featured, and their thesis project, Chrysalis (2022), was exhibited in Rye’s Above at the Rye Arts Center in Rye, NY (May-September 2024). Additionally, Chrysalis was featured in Metamorphosis at Millepiani in Rome, Italy (June 2024). These exhibitions reflect Gelick's commitment to exploring the transformative power of art in both local and international contexts.
In recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of photography, Gelick was honored with the Still Photography Faculty Award for Excellence from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in May 2023.
Gelick's most recent project, La Tristesse Durera Toujours (2023), features a series of self-portraits that delve into the lasting nature of grief and personal sorrow. The work further explores themes of emotional endurance and the profound depths of self-reflection through intimate and evocative imagery.
With a dedication to both personal expression and universal themes, Gelick continues to push the boundaries of visual storytelling, inviting the viewer to witness and reflect upon the complexities of the human experience.
"Chrysalis is a body of self-portraiture that follows my personal journey through grief, healing, and transformation after the unexpected and tragic death of a student in my college community. In the months following this loss, I found myself accompanied by a monarch butterfly. Through research, I discovered that monarch butterflies represent rebirth, a fitting metaphor for my emotional journey during this time.
Though I never knew the young man whose life was taken, I felt a quiet, almost spiritual connection to him in the wake of his passing. The monarch's presence in my life during this period felt symbolic of his spirit, offering me silent company as I navigated my grief. As a result, I chose to dedicate Chrysalis to him—not as a way to claim ownership over his memory, but as a gesture of honoring the collective experience of loss and healing that we all go through when someone is taken too soon.
The work reflects not only my own transformation but also my belief that healing is an ongoing process of becoming—just as a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, we too are capable of renewal. It is my hope that through this work, those who encounter it can find their own moments of peace, knowing that the journey from grief to healing can lead to new growth and possibility.
In this series, I intentionally obscure my face in every image, allowing viewers the opportunity to see themselves in the work. Grief, loss, and transformation are universal experiences that touch everyone at some point. By not fully revealing my face, I invite the viewer to step into the space of the image, offering them a chance to connect with the emotions and reflections that arise from their own experiences of loss. Through this, I hope to convey that while the pain of loss is deeply personal, it is also something shared by all.
The use of natural light in Chrysalis is also a reflection of the work's origin from the Greek word "chrysalis," meaning "golden." Just as the chrysalis is a stage of growth before the emergence of something new, the light in my work evokes the possibility of a brighter, healed future, even in the midst of sorrow.
In the end, my work reflects this truth: just when the caterpillar thought its life was over, it became a butterfly. Chrysalis is an exploration of this process of transformation—where, even in our darkest moments, there is potential for growth, renewal, and a new beginning."
Olivia Gelick is a photographer whose work explores themes of loss, healing, transformation, and rebirth. Through the lens, Gelick captures intimate moments of emotional vulnerability and strength, examining how personal and collective experiences of grief can lead to profound change.
Drawing inspiration from both visual and narrative storytelling, Gelick's photographs invite the viewer to engage with the quiet but powerful processes of emotional renewal.
A graduate of Ithaca College with a degree in Cinema and Photography and a minor in Art History, Gelick combines technical skill with conceptual depth to create images that transform everyday moments into reflections on the human experience.
Gelick's work has been exhibited in Picture This! at the Handwerker Gallery in Ithaca, NY (May 2023), where their photo book Hope All Is Well On Your End! (2022) was featured, and their thesis project, Chrysalis (2022), was exhibited in Rye’s Above at the Rye Arts Center in Rye, NY (May-September 2024). Additionally, Chrysalis was featured in Metamorphosis at Millepiani in Rome, Italy (June 2024). These exhibitions reflect Gelick's commitment to exploring the transformative power of art in both local and international contexts.
In recognition of their outstanding contributions to the field of photography, Gelick was honored with the Still Photography Faculty Award for Excellence from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in May 2023.
Gelick's most recent project, La Tristesse Durera Toujours (2023), features a series of self-portraits that delve into the lasting nature of grief and personal sorrow. The work further explores themes of emotional endurance and the profound depths of self-reflection through intimate and evocative imagery.
With a dedication to both personal expression and universal themes, Gelick continues to push the boundaries of visual storytelling, inviting the viewer to witness and reflect upon the complexities of the human experience.
Olivia Gelick/Untitled 16
Olivia Gelick/Untitled 17
Olivia Gelick/Untitled 6
Olivia Gelick/Untitled 7
Paula Guarderas/DSCF8902
Paula Guarderas/Gejosessionm with yoU
Paula Guarderas/IMG 4855
Paula Guarderas:
“I'm submitting work from a project i'm doing with my partner. We call ourselves Ge and Jo Sessions.
This project very much came out of a rebirth, for Jo it was a long time since he had taken any photographs and for me a long time since I had worked intimately with anyone. This is work from a series called YOU REMIND ME, it’s a love letter to to nature and each otherness.”
“I'm submitting work from a project i'm doing with my partner. We call ourselves Ge and Jo Sessions.
This project very much came out of a rebirth, for Jo it was a long time since he had taken any photographs and for me a long time since I had worked intimately with anyone. This is work from a series called YOU REMIND ME, it’s a love letter to to nature and each otherness.”
Paula Guarderas/ IMG 8602
Paula Guarderas/IMG 9027
Paula Guarderas/ MF-4964
Vicky Stromee/Capturing the light-4
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
Vicky Stromee/Capturing the light-3
Vicky Stromee/Capturing the light-1
Vicky Stromee:
"My fascination with photography began at an early age. I got my first Brownie camera at age 8 and began shooting everything I saw. Watching the magic of an image emerge from the developing tray in my dad's darkroom; spending afternoons lying under the baby grand piano with waves of sound resonating around and through me; texture, pattern, fluidity, and change - these are my earliest influences and they continue to unfold in my work.
Most recently I have begun to create photomontages incorporating natural objects into both abstract images and scenes of imaginary realism.
My work has been featured at multiple galleries including Waxlander, PhotoPlace, Griffin Museum of Photography and Afterimage. Selected images are represented by Cynthia Byrnes Contemporary Art.
My bodies of work have received multiple national and international awards including American Society of Media Professionals’ Best of 2015 and Best of 2024 awards; Silver and Golds awards from Tokyo International Foto Awards and Juror’s Choice Award from the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards. In 2O22, my series “Koo and the Long Dark Night” was selected for the Communication Arts Award of Excellence in Photography.""
All Images for Sale:
Capturing the light
6"H x 6" W (6x6 image on 8x8 paper)
Archival paper
$150 unframed
open edition
Signed on back
Contact: Vicky Stromee vstromee@msn.com
"My fascination with photography began at an early age. I got my first Brownie camera at age 8 and began shooting everything I saw. Watching the magic of an image emerge from the developing tray in my dad's darkroom; spending afternoons lying under the baby grand piano with waves of sound resonating around and through me; texture, pattern, fluidity, and change - these are my earliest influences and they continue to unfold in my work.
Most recently I have begun to create photomontages incorporating natural objects into both abstract images and scenes of imaginary realism.
My work has been featured at multiple galleries including Waxlander, PhotoPlace, Griffin Museum of Photography and Afterimage. Selected images are represented by Cynthia Byrnes Contemporary Art.
My bodies of work have received multiple national and international awards including American Society of Media Professionals’ Best of 2015 and Best of 2024 awards; Silver and Golds awards from Tokyo International Foto Awards and Juror’s Choice Award from the Julia Margaret Cameron Awards. In 2O22, my series “Koo and the Long Dark Night” was selected for the Communication Arts Award of Excellence in Photography.""
All Images for Sale:
Capturing the light
6"H x 6" W (6x6 image on 8x8 paper)
Archival paper
$150 unframed
open edition
Signed on back
Contact: Vicky Stromee vstromee@msn.com
Vicky Stromee/Capturing the light-2
Vicky Stromee/Capturing the light-5
Vicky Stromee/Capturing the light-6
www.vickystromeephotography.com
www.instagram.com/vickystromeephotography
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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
www.instagram.com/vickystromeephotography
-----------------------------
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
