I remember the first time I saw the photographs of microscopic creatures captured by the lens of Roman Vishniac. The world opened in rich and strange new ways. The photography of Fern Wood Mitchell opens another unseen world with all its mysterious beauty. For the last 20 years he has been making underwater photographs taken in the South Pacific, off the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
WIth the eye of an artist, he blows up the images larger than life, often cropping them to create organic abstracts. So it is no surprise the exhibit is called Ocean Abstracts. Mitch, as he is known by those who love him, sees the hidden treasure in life itself, with an awareness of the fragility of the eco-systems that may disappear in our lifetime. You could say that his work has political overtones in that it brings awareness to an important issue, the preservation of our oceans. But that would be a narrow reading of his achievement.
You can see his work, and meet him, on Thursday April 19th, from 6pm to 8pm on the 3rd Floor of Lord & Taylor at 434 Fifth Avenue here in NYC. The work will be on display until the end of the month, when he goes off to the South Pacific once more to dive deep. Not in NYC? See his work at oceanabstracts.com
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