Joann Eldridge: Photographs - OPENING RECEPTION SUN. 3, NOV. 3PM-5PM
/JOANN ELDRIDGE
PHOTOGRAPHS: A MEMORIAL EXHIBITION
CURATED BY ROBERT RINDLER
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WELLFLEET ADULT COMMUNITY CENTER GREAT POND GALLERY
715 OLD KING’S HIGHWAY 508 349-2800
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OPEN THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER
8AM - 4PM WEEKDAYS
CLOSED THANKSGIVING WEEKEND
PLEASE DIRECT ALL INQUIRIES TO
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OPENING RECEPTION SUN. 3, NOV. 3PM-5PM
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ARTIST’S POSTHUMOUS STATEMENT
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I chose to be a photographer because I wanted to express myself in an artistic manner. Since my drawing and painting skills have not advanced beyond stick figures, it is my choice to be a photographer.
Presently Street Photography and Decay - urban, suburban and rural - are my subjects of choice. But to tell you the truth, I have and shall shoot anything that is in front of me, behind me, above me, beside me and under me.
If I look back upon my life, I have always been drawn to the visual. I was given my first Brownie at the age of eight. In undergraduate and graduate school I became obsessed with studying films and film making. I was especially drawn to the early surrealist works of Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, especially “Un Chien Andalou” and "The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie”. And since one of my loves has always been poetry, I even took a stab at film making. My most memorable was based on T.S. Elliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”. I loved writing the screen adaptations, filming and editing processes. If I didn’t have to earn a living, I probably would have become a film director. "C’est la vie”.
Today when I am out shooting, I spend a lot of time looking, looking, looking. I check my backgrounds, isolate my subjects, take a step or two in or out, and take several shots from various angles. I often find myself waiting, waiting, waiting for that right moment, that Henri
Cartier-Bresson’s “decisive moment” Lastly, I follow my own intuition.
For me, as an artist, that is my most important criterion.
When I edit my photographs, I spend a lot of time viewing what I have on my card or camera roll. To see each image as a whole and to see if there are images within my images are my goals. Some images I edit quickly, some not so quickly. Some I try as color, some as black and white and some sepia. I view my editing process as: Whatever the image dictates, the image becomes. During my editing process I try one application or many. Some of my favorite software programs are Adobe Lightroom, Distressed FX, Enlight, iColorama S and Snapseed.
In the end I want to make images that create curiosity and make the viewer wonder.
And unlike J. Alfred, I do “...hear the mermaids singing each to each”.
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ARTIST’S BIO
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Joann D. Eldridge was born on August 31, 1939, and spent her early years in the Buzzards Bay/Bourne area on Cape Cod. She often traveled with her father up and down the East Coast waterways as he was a sports fisherman. She graduated from Worcester State College in 1970 with a B.A. in English. She had a love of literature and received her M.A. in English from Assumption College in 1972. She spent 30 years at Doherty High School in Worcester where she taught Advanced Placement English, coordinated drama shows, and was advisor to the Literary Magazine. Several of her former students remained in touch over the years and often commented on how influential she was in their lives.
While at Doherty High School, Joann started the first computer lab in the English Department. Subsequently she orchestrated the donation of over 400 computers to the school so that every department had its own computer lab. She was well ahead of her time as she became an expert in the integration of curriculum and technology in the early 1990’s. When she retired she became a technology consultant to the Worcester School Department as well as the Provincetown School system where she assisted many individual teachers and administrators in the integration of curriculum and technology. She also had a small business creating websites for various organizations.
Joann had a great ability to reinvent herself as she was a very successful teacher of English, a technology consultant, a web designer, and a very creative and successful photographer and digital artist. She was a member and officer of Cape Cod Viewfinders where she honed her skills and achieved the level of Master Photographer.
She was also a member of the Cape Cod Art Center’s Digital Art Group.
She entered many local, national and international photography contests and won many awards.
Joann loved living on Cape Cod and Blackfish Creek, being close to the ocean and beautiful beaches and enjoying spectacular sunsets. She also loved spending winters in Key West, Florida. Wherever she
might happen to be, she was continually creating photographs and has left a legacy of thousands of images.
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