Gallery 51 | Workshops

YouTube: Opening Reception Timelapse

Saturday, August 9, 2008

See the TimeLapse of the Photography Opening Reception on YouTube Pick out your friends!

Digital Photography for Traditional Photographers

Private Tutoring

One on One

If you've worked in a darkroom, understand traditional photographic techniques and are reasonably comfortable with a computer, Andy Foster, can teach you digital photography in 4 hours.

We customize the lessons so you learn exactly what you need. We work with your images and you leave with perfectly corrected digital files ready to be framed.

Call for questions and testimonials...

$300/4hrs.

Claire Rosen: Montclair Times Feature Story

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
By JOAN FINN
of The Montclair Times

Andy Foster, owner of Gallery 51, knew he had encountered a remarkable talent when he exhibited the work of photographer Claire Rosen, last year, in his Church Street gallery.

The exhibit, called “Me,. Myself and I,” ran for four weeks, and garnered rave reviews from both critics and the public alike. In it were two unique bodies of work — “Dolls in the Attic,” a documentary exploration of European dolls from the 1800s, and “Me, Myself and I,” a series of self-portraits by the artist.

Foster had been introduced to the artist by art advisor Patricia Selden, chair of public art for the Montclair Arts Council, who said he had to see her work. And she was right.

When Claire Rosen showed him both her ‘Dolls in the Attic’ series and about 10 self-portraits, and he knew immediately this was an artist he wanted to represent. ”We did her first show in February 2007. It was successful and we decided to make Valentine’s Day an annual event for Claire.” Her second show, which opened in early February, and continues through March 30 at Gallery 51, features new self-portraits by the artist. “It is the most successful show we’ve had to date,” Foster said.

Beyond Claire’s impressive portfolio of work, “she’s charming, and although only 24, she’s an old soul,” according to Foster. “Claire is extremely well versed in the history of photography as well as art in general, and has a great sense of contemporary design,” he said. “She has the instincts and sensibility of an artist, but the work ethic and mindset of a business professional.”

“‘Dolls in the Attic’ was one of the most original series of photographs I had seen in a long time,” the gallery owner said. “They didn’t suit my tastes on a personal level, but their artistic integrity couldn’t be ignored. They were mysterious, haunting and down right creepy. I was unsure whether I should show them, but in some ways, my apprehension is what convinced me to do it. People either love or hate them, but fortunately those that love them, have to have them….and sales were very strong.”

“Unlike Cindy Sherman, who Claire is often compared to, Claire’s self-portraits are quieter,” Foster pointed out. “They are created from a definitely feminine perspective but are not feminist. I see them as personal and introspective as opposed to being political. They are not commenting on society or making statements. Each portrait is more like a dream or scene from a film, where Claire, the costume and the scenery all reference and reinterpret a known fairy tale, myth or legend.”

Foster also noted that in addition to being a very technical photographer, Claire is also a brilliant costume and set designer. He feels the success of her self-portraits has very much to do with the overall art direction of her photo shoots.

After graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in photography, Claire moved to Maine to work with the highly regarded fine art photographer, Joyce Tenneson, and the Maine Photographic Work-shops. Under Tenneson’s mentorship, Claire developed two bodies of work — “Dolls in the Attic” and “Me, Myself and I.” In “Dolls in the Attic” the portraits are stunning in their resolution and detail, illuminating every fold and every chip in their hand-painted porcelain faces. And from this project evolved an examination of self that materialized as the self-portrait series, “Me, Myself and I.”

In commenting on “Dolls in the Attic,” Claire said “I was immediately intrigued by the dolls as objects of another time — fixed within their periods, yet still able to speak to us today. They’re quirky, bizarre, imperfect and damaged. As inanimate objects, they have an almost human quality. They started out as innocent playthings and as the years have passed, they’ve become quite haunting.”

Regarding her self-portrait series, she noted, “There’s a universal impulse to do self-portraits as a means of personal introspection.” But Claire’s self-portraits started as a lucky accident. She had scheduled an elaborate fashion photo shoot, but the model suddenly was unavailable. So she shot the images with herself as the model, just so she wouldn’t waste the set-ups and the assistant.

When her mentor, Joyce Tenneson was reviewing the images from that day, she commented that the shots were more interesting than if they had been done with a model. “The personal involvement gave them an intimacy that made them more powerful reflections of me and my creative instincts,” she said.

Joyce Tennyson was one the people Claire most admired while studying photography at college. “Working with someone I have revered is inspiring and has given me the confidence to pursue my own path,” she said. “Joyce is incredibly generous with her time, ideas and energy, and has been unfailingly supportive of me on a personal and professional basis.”

Just two years out of college, Claire has already attracted widespread attention with her work already featured in seven exhibitions, from New York City to Atlanta, and New Jersey and Maine. Most recently, her work has been included in the permanent collection of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton, a firm that was awarded last year for having the most important corporate art collection in New York City.

“It’s exciting to do something you’re passionate about,” said Claire, who grew up in Montclair, but now ho di-vides her time between Montclair and Maine. “I almost can’t believe I get paid to be a photographer. Who wouldn’t dream of waking up every day and doing a job that they love?”

The eldest of four sisters, Claire has yielded to this fascination with the psychology of childhood and the feminine. Claire notes that she has a creative mom — Dolly — a great cook and well-known baker. She reports that her sup-portive father — Edward — has indulged her creative and esthetic impulses, but claims “it’s not accidental that my mother’s name is Dolly and my first big show was a collection of doll images.”

Claire’s artistic heroes include Maggie Taylor, Sarah Moon, Franchesca Woodman Cig Harvey, Robert and Shana Parke-Harrison, and the French illustrator Louis Icart. Most of her influence has been drawn from works by Hans Christian Andersen, The Grimm Brothers, Lewis Carrol, Frank Baum and Dare Wright.

Claire’s work has been compared to Cig Harvey, Cindy Sherman and Franchesca Woodman, but she believes her self-portraits most closely resemble Cig Harvey’s images. “There is something universal about the insecurities and vulnerabilities that women who take self-portraits are trying to express and communicate,” she said. “I remember seeing Cig’s images for the first time and feeling like someone completely understood how I felt.”

“We all want to express ourselves in ways that are personal,” she concluded. “Photography is a particularly good medium for self-expression because it works on so many levels — it’s art, craft and technology. It’s visual, creative and esthetic. It gives me the opportunity to communicate and connect with people in ways that are beyond what I might say with words.”

“Claire is an artist that will continue to impress,” Foster said. “I have no doubt that she will be showing in prime time New York galleries in the very near future. This is Claire’s second show at Gallery 51, and has been amazingly received by both critics and patrons. With that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if her next body of work is a total departure from what she’s showing now.”

“Clare enjoys success but won’t let it dictate her artistic direction,” he added. “She is young and brave and poised to become a real player in the competitive world of fine art photography. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!”

NJ Monthly feature: Stein exhibit

Extended - Feb. 2

New Jersey Monthly
Fred Stein
Small-Camera Giant

By Eric Levin

In the pantheon of Europeans who pioneered 35-mm photography, the name Stein may not resonate like Kertész or Cartier-Bresson, but it belongs. Born in Dresden in 1909, the son of a rabbi, Fred Stein arrived in Paris in 1933 with a law degree (the Nazis wouldn’t admit him to the bar), a bride, and a Leica camera. His photos of Paris and, after 1941, of New York, are as notable for their unobtrusive acuity as for their diverse subject matter. Had he not died in 1967 at 58, Stein would surely be better known today. His son, cinematographer Peter Stein, and gallery owner Andy Foster have put together 70 pictures that show why Stein deserves to be remembered.