(Above: 8.2.21b – ciel(ing) by Photax, part of a display of art photography at the Maude Kerns Art Center

Edited by Randi Bjornstad

Two photography shows are on the walls at the Maude Kerns Art Center through July 25, one a group show by four photogs who also are good friends, and the other who devotes his attention to capturing the vibe through images of the music entertainment world.

An opening reception for the artists will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 11, at the art center.

Four Photographers in Search of Abstraction

This show features work by Photax, Gary Tepfer, Marc Thibaut, and the late Dan Lenore, all of whom have chosen to focus their lenses on abstraction in photography, which PhotoPedagogy.com describes as “a kind of sliding scale with naturalism on the one end and total non-representation at the other.”

All four dedicated their talents to “finding beauty through clarity of vision, recorded with a camera, and shared with minimal manipulation.”

Here’s a thumbnail sketch of each photographer and their individual approaches to their craft:

  • Dan Lenore, who died in 2024, is represented in this exhibit by his wife, Nan, who described him as “happiest when he found the unusual, especially a surprise image, always looking for changes in light and atmosphere, color and texture combining to make something new and abstract.” Lenore, a New York and Connecticut photographer, concentrated on still life and portrait photography, using large format and polaroid film cameras.
  • Photax, a pseudonym, is a life-long Oregon photographer since the 1960s, focusing on “randomness in art and new ways to stimulate thoughts and emotions in the viewer.” Rather than expressing an “aha” moment in terms of subjects, “the image itself must be so compelling that its forms and shapes take over and become something other than the subject, of a different beauty completely unrelated to the subject.”
  • Gary Tepfer, a well-known Oregon landscape photographer, includes in this show photos that span the length of his career, including recent explorations of abstraction, which derive in part from studying the work of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian (1872-1944), which gave him an “understanding of how (the abstract image) can be embedded in the patterns of real objects waiting to be drawn out by the artist.”
  • Marc Thibaut, who hails from the West Coast but lives in Paris, France, rarely his work, which is characterized by “elegant images drawn from what he sees in his daily life” and which are collected in his hand-made art books,”  several of which will be exhibited during this show. In fact, Thibaut questions the idea of abstraction in photography, saying that “even the most abstract images unavoidably retain traces of the real, which may or may not be recognized by viewers.”

Sound Waves, by Todd Cooper

Music entertainment photographer Todd Cooper, captivated by musicall performance since his teens, has spent two decades documenting musical events, and shows his work in the Salon Gallery at the Maude Kerns Art Center.

““I really try to keep attuned to the energy in the room, whether it be on stage or in the audience — there are these waves that happen where it all builds, syncs, and explodes into this series of memorable moments,” Cooper says in introducing his show. “I feel really lucky when I can get a frame or two of that magic.”

On display at the Maude Kerns Art Center 

When: Through July 25, 2025

Where: 1910 E. 15th Ave., Eugene (corner of 15th and Villard streets)

Hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday when exhibits are on display

Special event: Reception for the artists 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 11, 2025

Information: Telephone 541-345-1571 or online at mkartcenter.org