Art Hop Reception: Thursday, January 4, 2018 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Artists' Reception: Saturday January 28, 2017 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Eclectic Vignettes

Jesse Merrell and Travis Rockett

One of the greatest benefits of photography is that it allows us to journey to different locations, explore our environment, and express ourselves in imaginative and artistic ways. Rather than focus on a single subject, we have decided to explore images derived from a broad range of sources. This includes the subject matter, location, and genre of photography, as well as presentation styles and artistic development. These images were inspired from travels as well as everyday life. In "Eclectic Vignettes," there is something for everyone to connect with, and we hope you enjoy the collection of works presented.

Jesse Merrell is a fine art photographer that interprets our visual reality using historical as well as innovative printing methods. He has exhibited in local venues such as Spectrum Art Gallery, M Street Arts Complex, Broadway Studios, Fresno City Hall, and Gallery 25. His work is also shown in private and public collections, most notably at the Fresno City College Photography Collection, in projects from the Fresno Housing Authority, and in promotions for the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. He is the first recipient of the Hanna S. Barsam Award for Excellence in Photography, and has received many awards at competitive venues, including two Best of Show awards. Lastly, Jesse been published in The Hand Magazine, as well as several local literary journals.

Travis Rockett is drawn to photograph details of, and relationships between, objects that convey an air of mystery; a story that has been lost in time. Since his youth, he has used photography to capture important moments and express his creativity. He loves to spend his free time traveling around California, enjoying the state's natural beauty while making stops at parks, historical sites and zoos. When not traveling, he lives and works in Fresno, California. His work has been exhibited in local venues, including M Street Arts Complex, Fresno City Hall, Fresno City College, Sorensen Gallery and Gallery 25. He has been published in The Hand Magazine, The Fresno City College Review, The Ram's

Alphabet of Meaning

Edward Gillum

We live in a special time, as marvelous and mysterious as it is shameful and hideous. Our current state of affairs, i.e. social media providing instant access to information, both valid and fake, with leaders that prioritize greed over need, paving for most of us a path toward poverty, sickness and despair. Yet, many of us still have the fight deeply ingrained and choose to resist and to speak up; to use what platform we may have to open the eyes of those who just cannot see or feel what is going on. Our language has become infected with malignant conditions like "alt-right" and "fake news", and our freedom of speech is endangered. Shades of Orwell's "1984" are invoked in this symbolic structure of words that the Center for Disease Control can no longer use, as they have now been "struck/forbidden" as dictated by the powers that be.

What tools do we have left to share our ideas and communicate our feelings? Artists often rely on non-verbal triggers to get viewers to respond to their creations. Technology has opened many doors to challenge creativity and to enable possibility. We now can measure, (and likely influence - CRISPR), individuality by the arrangement of our Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine and Thymine, i.e. our DNA. So as letters and acronyms earmark methods of communication, I harken back to my childhood, and how much I loved books, "alphabet" books, especially. I continue to collect them. As a parent, I enjoyed reading to my children, and sharing the ones that I had collected, and all the new ones I would discover, including CDB, one of my favorites.

For the exhibit I am installing at Spectrum Gallery, I am sharing my current endeavor, "ALPHABET OF MEANING", twenty-six photographs that have been fused onto glass illustrating each letter of the alphabet and working together with the other twenty-five to communicate my view of existence at this moment on this fragile planet. I am hoping to do my part in fusing intelligence with common sense; and yes, dreaming of a better world for future generations.