Abstraction & Essence
Dan Cabe & Johnny Stafford
July 3 – August 3, 2025
ArtHop Reception: Thursday, July 3rd, 5-8PM
Dan Cabe – The images in “Abstraction & Essence” were created at Weston Beach, Point Lobos. They have everything, and nothing, to do with that place. I’ve always been a bit of an Edward Weston fan. Point Lobos has long been associated with Weston, one of the iconic photographers of the 20th century. It’s also where Weston’s ashes were scattered into the Pacific at Pebbly Beach, that stretch of beach is now called Weston Beach.
On a trip to Pacific Grove, I decided it was time to find Weston Beach. I knew I wanted to photograph it but I didn’t know how. The last thing I wanted to do was make black and white images similar to those of Weston. I decided to create abstracts. I’ve played with abstraction off and on over the years but this was my first serious project. Aaron Siskind has long been another influence of mine. This is where we move from Weston to Siskind as having more to do with the images. Weston was the inspiration for the place, Siskind was the inspiration for the approach.
We’re all influenced by others. The trick is to take that inspiration and do something different with it. Hopefully, I’ve accomplished that goal. But that’s for you to decide. I’d like to thank Johnny Stafford for sharing this show, and this space, with me.
I have both AA and BA degrees in Photojournalism. I worked briefly as a photojournalist & commercial photographer after college. Following that I worked in elementary education. I went on to earn a Master’s Degree in Educational Technology. Upon entrance into the master’s program, I worked primarily in all aspects of educational technology including; network creation, tech support, instruction and assessment.
Enigmatic Excursions – Johnny Stafford
Nature has always been an enigma to me. It has a duality to it that draws me in like nothing else in my life. In one sense, it is a calming presence. I live amongst nature, I venture off deeper into it when I can, and I often think of it when I’m not there. I love being amongst all things natural- be it the forest, swimming in the ocean, hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing, anything that gets me out there. Yet, nature can also have a disconcerting effect on me. I have a fearful respect of it, knowing it’s a powerful force capable of taking my life, and I’m frequently reminded of that power when I’m out in it. That’s part of the allure- that the thing which I’m so drawn can end me, as it has so many who have sought after it’s charms have found.
This show is about that duality. In venturing out, I’m seeking that “perfect image”, knowing full well that we can only make a feeble attempt at capturing the visual stimulation and the varied emotions of what we feel when we’re out there experiencing that perfect sunset or pondering the mystery of the turning of fall. Anyone who’s ever shot a nature picture has tried to capture a bit of the magic that most feel when they’re in nature. We’re in search of that nirvana, but the very thing that draws us offers those frequent reminders that it’s in charge and we’re only spectators. We seek to take a slice of that moment, capture it in this machine, and take that back with us, later to remind us of the fleeting moments of life and how those precious experiences are noteworthy and valuable. However, it’s these captured, almost stolen moments, that help to give life the meaning that we so desperately seek. Finding the beauty, while surrounded by our mortality and the reminders of the fleeting nature of life, is what draws me to these places.
As I venture out to that which gives me purpose, I’m sometimes with others, but frequently alone. It’s this time alone when I realize that I’m home, yet not really, as nature can readily remind me that I’m only visiting. Joseph Conrad summed it up best in Heart of Darkness. “No, it is impossible; it is impossible to convey the life-sensation of any given epoch of one’s existence–that which makes its truth, its meaning–its subtle and penetrating essence. It is impossible. We live, as we dream–alone.”
― Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness
Yet, I will keep seeking that “perfect image”.
