13 Days of Photography - STACY EVANS

This is Part 9 of 13. In this series, each post will focus on one of the artists being shown during Migration: A Gallery’s Photography Invitational, We All Live in Bordertowns. The exhibit is currently open and runs through the end of December.

While putting the Invitational together, Laura and I were not just looking to present varied photographic techniques (for those of you who know us, you recognize our preferences for alternative method photography). We wanted to present a variety of genres as well. Stacy Evans filled the hole we were most challenged by - Portraiture. And, even better, she gives us the ever challenging subject of "Self-Portrait". The icing on the cake is her marvelously layered self portraits.

Stacy’s two self-portraits in the show are arresting. They lock you in with her direct eye contact. In a world of ever increasing anonymous phone calls and emails, the art of looking another person in the eye – really looking them in the eye – is dieing. Stacy does it brazenly and with aplomb. Her frontal visage gives us the directness we so seldom get in "public" (and dare I say, crave). It’s the private moment between artist and viewer that gives us the rare opportunity to read a person’s emotions, moods, feelings and thoughts through the expressiveness of one’s eyes. It’s all about the eyes. We allow ourselves the time to read all of these – without the embarrassment of "staring."

Stacy puts herself out there and virtually says, "Bring it!" What we get in return is a sampling of Stacy’s open and spirited personality. In addition, layered and laced through her images, are road signs and symbolic landscapes of life. She is taking us on her physical and emotional journeys. And you get the sense that, if offered to join, you would say, "Sure, I’ll go with you." You trust her.

Stacy has been a close friend and ally of the Gallery since before we opened. She was, and continues to be, an instrumental influence in the ongoing creation of Migration’s "image." She has seen Laura and me at our best and at our worst (dealing with the stresses of the art business). The frankness and honesty she has given us is equally reflected in the openness of her Self Portraits.

Image:  Self, 1 of 3.