October 12, 2024 through November 06, 2024

Loren Nelson • Found Subject(s) Matter

please join us for the artist opening reception from 4-7pm on Saturday, October 12th

Walking with a friend down an alleyway on our way to lunch, I stumbled upon a patch of sunlight reflected from a parked van onto the pavement in the shadow of a neighboring building. While exploring the visual possibilities of a pile of fishing nets on a dock in Astoria, I encountered the rusty hull of a vessel under repair. During a stay at my son’s flat in London, I became fascinated by the constantly shifting reflections inside a lampshade. These moments of discovery are always unexpected and delightfully surprising.

In my photography, I don’t actively search for images. Such an approach often leads to disappointment when visual opportunities don’t appear. Instead, I prefer to immerse myself in environments where I am more likely to be invited by Spirit to photograph. I remain open and receptive, grateful when these visual gifts present themselves. Often, though, I am greeted by something entirely random and unexpected, which catches me off guard and inspires a response. The images in this show are some of my favorite examples of these serendipitous encounters.

For over 45 years Loren Nelson has photographed with a Deardorff 4X5 view camera and film, and used a traditional darkroom to produce selenium-toned silver gelatin prints. Recently, he has also incorporated a digital workflow, using 35mm digital cameras and an iPhone to respond more spontaneously to his surroundings. Along with his darkroom work, he prints his images on fine-art papers, using archival pigment inks. Ongoing bodies of work include Pacific Northwest landscapes, seascapes, driftwood studies, botanicals, and Wasteland, a series on plastic-wrapped landscapes.

Loren Nelson’s photographs are in numerous public and private collections, including the Portland Art Museum; the Hallie Ford Museum of Art; Salem, Oregon; and the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts; Tampa, FL. He is represented by the Portland Art Museum/Rental Sales Gallery in Portland, OR, and LightBox Photographic Gallery in Astoria, OR. His work has been published in View Camera, LensWork, B&W, Shots, and Analog Forever Magazines.

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