New York, New York: Selected for NYC art exhibition

I have been selected to exhibit in a photography exhibition in the heart of New York’s art precinct in November.

New York City is a long way from home, but that’s not stopping me heading to the Big Apple for an exhibition in New York’s Chelsea district. My work was chosen, along with nine other artists from around the world, for the Altered States of Reality Exhibition, which will be on from 2 - 23 November.

Agora Gallery, NYC, first noticed my work through a previous Sydney exhibition in the Danks Street Complex in Waterloo.  “Cade’s limited edition photographic prints provide a refreshing view of the most basic elements of optical experience,” says Angela di Bello, Director, Agora Gallery, New York City.  “Inspired by the ‘visual freedom’ of the Impressionist school, Cade’s graphic experimentation or ‘painting’ with light, colour and movement results in stunning photographic abstractions that push at the stubborn edge of traditional photography,” she said.

I leave for New York at the end of the month. For more information on the exhibition, see my News & Events page on my website at: http://www.cadeturner.com.au/news.php

New Work: Sunburnt Country

Sunburnt Country IV, 2011, by Cade Turner 

Sunburnt Country is a new four-piece series shot in Scone, NSW Australia.  I really wanted this series to reflect the rural Australian landscape through a fresh, Impressionist style.  

Scone's countryside is quite dry and it can be challenging to find the right elements to work with that will produce a striking result.  I found by overexposing, I was able to achieve my colour palette, and by framing the large sky in the top four fifths of the frame, I was able to accentuate the enormity and dynamicism of the sky, in contrast to the minimal specks of the trees and cows.  The use of movement allowed me to erase and painterly blend some detail of the cows, trees and grass, which helps emphasise the huge sky.

In the three other works of the series (below), I pushed the exposure even further.  I wanted to push the scene's raw elements to their very edge, without losing context.  The series was shot completely in camera, single frame, with no montaging or afterwork.  

Enjoy!

 Sunburnt Country III, I & II, 2011, by Cade Turner

New series: Renaissance de la nature

I was pleased to finally get a break from the city and head into the country at Easter to capture some new works.  Since I was eight, my father and I have been camping on a beautiful property in Scone, known as Belltrees (4 hours north-west of Sydney).  The Belltrees property has been owned by the White family since 1831.  My father has actually been camping on this property since he was 17, through a school friend.

I have called this particular series Renaissance de la nature (Rebirth of Nature).  I spent an entire afternoon down by the Hunter River which flows through the centre of the property.  I loved the blades of the last moments of sunlight which pierced through the trees, highlighting fine sections of the swirling water.   

When you sit by the flowing stream up close for some time, each moment seems to flow right into the next.  I wanted to get in between these moments, each twist and collision of water that was occurring in front of me.  I really wanted to use movement and long exposures to help me stretch time and portray the incredible beauty and dynamicism of these extraordinary moments, which are individually unique, yet impossible for the eye to see, let alone process.  I feel that each of these glimpses allows us observe the constant life cycle of nature at its minute level.

Where did my creative journey begin?

I have always felt a strong, emotional connection with light, shapes and colour.  But, although I was good at drawing and painting, it just didn't happen.  

In fact, my first artistic phase came through music, when I joined my primary school choir at the age of ten.  As soon as I had my first session, I was eager to learn the piano. I  borrowed a mate's miniature, single-octave keyboard and taught myself to read and play all the songs in our choir book.  This was the tipping point that convinced my parents to invest in a piano.

My piano was an old, WWII German up-right.  But to me, it was  just awesome to have 88 full-size keys! Within a few months, right before my 11th birthday, I had completed my first composition, which I called Mysterious Anonymous.  Twenty three years on and some twenty compositions later, Mysterious Anonymous remains my favourite written piece.  

Music was my life for ten years until my 21st birthday when my grandparents bought me my first Nikon 35mm camera.  This marked the beginning of my second phase: Art photography. 

For the past 12 years, I have dedicated my creative energy to art photography (film and digital) and have taught myself some unique, non-conventional techniques which have shaped and continue to shape out a certain contemplative focus on mood in my work.

Today, I find myself more inspired by painters, particularly the great Impressionists.  For the past two years, I have been exploring Impressionism through the lens (also known as Pictorialism), which I will discuss further in other posts.

I feel I will soon approach the third phase in my art journey - where my music and photography finally come together... more on this shortly!

Hello and welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! 

I really wanted to establish this blog so people can scratch the surface and learn more about me, my creative journey as an artist, and what inspires and drives me to create my work.  

Please feel free to engage with and become part of this blog at any time.  I encourage you to post your comments and feedback, or just sit back and enjoy the odd post every now and again ;)  

Also, if there's something you'd like to hear more of, just ask and I am happy to respond!

Cheers,

Cade