When artist/entrepreneur Greg Smith first organized the More Than The Eye Can See showcase of photography in White Rock three years ago, photographic exhibitions on the Semiahmoo Peninsula, while occasionally featured, were a rarity.
"That was why I started it – you just could not find a photography exhibition in South Surrey and White Rock," he said.
"Now, this past year, there have been five," he chuckled. "I think we started something."
The third edition of his show continues at White Rock's Pop Uptown Gallery (Central Plaza) for the rest of January.
Representing the work of some 26 photographers, the show is presented in two halves. Work in the first half will be exchanged for new pieces later this week, so that all of the photographers have ample chance to show the variety of their work.
Judging by the first half, the show – curated by Smith, but not, he stresses, adjudicated by him – continues to provide an intriguing insight into the many possibilities of the photographic medium, ranging from sometimes unexpected interpretations of landscapes and telling portraiture to sensitively captured nature scenes and figurative work, and venturing, ultimately, into the textural, the symbolic and the abstract.
Anyone who is interested in photography owes it to themselves to check out the work in the show, which is sure to stimulate the imagination – and could lead some of this year's viewers to become exhibitors, too.
That's what happened with Norman Orr, who was merely an observer last year, but after conversations with Smith became an exhibitor this year for the first time.
Smith has been playing a game with visitors to the gallery, asking them which of the exhibited prints they would want to steal if they could get away with it.
Not surprisingly, Orr's canvas-printed landscape photographs have been frequently "stolen" this year – they are evocative and highly relatable, but their appeal is more than that. While the show is titled More Than The Eye Can See, his pictures, which have been featured numerous times in the Peace Arch News, demonstrate that he has a very fine eye indeed.
His compositions have the quality of inviting the viewer in to the scene, whether it's an oddly arresting group of empty chairs at a Prince Edward Island waterfront, two young women with an umbrella caught in the midst of swirling snow on White Rock pier (actually an enterprise shot, not a staged creation) or a scene of tourists walking across the rocks to the famed lighthouse at Peggy's Cove, N.S.
For the second half of the show, Orr is promising to display very different, much more abstract work, and it it will be intriguing to see another side of his technique.
"This is my very first time showing my work, although I've been a photographer for most of my life," the retired Peninsula resident, a member of the Crescent Beach Photography Club, said.
Originally a Prairie lad, he first became seriously interested in photography when he was 18 and given the responsibility of capturing his sister's wedding. He went on to take a photographic course at Red River College, "but I never did anything with it, even though I did end up working for Fujii Film on the technical side for 20 years."
It's only since retiring to White Rock, and with the growth of digital photography, that he has been able to give full rein to his creative impulses, he said. Like others who attend the show, he found himself inspired by the different styles and techniques and submitted his name to Smith for future consideration, although he noted, modestly, "I wasn't sure at all whether my photography would fit in with this kind of show."
But that kind of interest fits entirely with Smith's aim with More Than The Eye Can See, which is to encourage, and give a showcase to, a wide range of photographers.
"I always have a list of names from each year," Smith said, adding that he is also interested in giving children and teens an opportunity to get involved in the medium.
"The thing is, how can we keep this differentiated from other shows as we go along? How many young photographers can we find?" he said.
Not a "purist" in any sense, he has no interest in venturing into the digital vs. analog debate, which is becoming largely moot with the proliferation of digital alternatives. As far as he is concerned, it is all photography, he said.
"Maybe next year it will all be shots taken with cellphones – who knows? (My intention is that) there will always be surprises in there."
Of one thing he is in no doubt – he appreciates the City of White Rock for leasing the Central Plaza space to provide a year-round venue for artists of all kinds. And he'd like to see the city leverage more arts exhibition and performing arts space from development proposals in future,
In addition to Orr's work, the first half of More Than The Eye Can See offered a stimulating variety of visual treats.
Among them were the highly evocative Foggy Sunday Stroll, Crescent Beach by Terry Thomas; and examples of fine work – ranging from landscapes and wildlife to sports photos – by students in Earl Marriott Secondary's photography program, supervised by teacher Ty Yamamoto.
Thanaka Mapalgama contributed another series of symbolic figurative studies suggesting intriguingly complex stories; Lynn Kelman narrowed her focus to very carefully arranged still lifes of nostalgic childhood objects such as toys and dresses, as in Forgotten Memories.
Teachers Ho Tsai Wei (Miss Bobo) and Shelby Gordon of the Rothewood Academy at Semiahmioo Centre contributed a series of charming studies of students, highlighting the school's philosophy of emphasizing family, community and love; while Cristina Gonzalez showed abstractions of silk in motion and a compelling portrait of the artist Skai Fowler.
Jennifer (Jenny) Evans (proprietor of Nomad Gallery) showed her photographic flair in a study of a mural of women's faces reflected in rainwater-filled puddle in an urban landscape; while Nicholas Chen added moody mystery to his exploration of motorcycle culture by featuring biker figures whose features are masked by their helmets.
Langara student Susy So provided fine detail and texture in travel shots such as Fenghuang Ancient Town China, including an interesting group of people on stepping stones crossing a lake, as well as a portrait of a heavy smoker entitled Consumed By Each Other.
Also capturing attention were the raw and energetic, in-the-moment shots of racing cars at rest and in motion by Mackenzie Lutz and Ken Hunter's creatively abstract approach to landscapes, including the minimalistic walls of the Jewish Memorial in Berlin; while Carol How used multiple exposures and intentional camera movement to paint with light in such images as the B.C. Pierscape.
Langara graduate Caitlyn MacDonald's work was also outstanding, whether embracing nature or celebrating artifice, as in her bold-hued depictions of scoops of ice cream or an artfully backlit cocktail.
Don Hudson's moody landscapes used light and expanses of sky to almost abstract effect, but he also demonstrated an eye for detail, tone and texture in a study of people walking beside an ancient cathedral in Barcelona.
More Than The Eye Can See continues to Jan. 29 at the gallery, 15140 North Bluff Rd., 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Wednesday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m Saturday and Sunday.