Lezley Woodhams – Barn Study 2 Spring

Light the SPARK: Emerging Artists Exhibit
SPARK Photo Festival Exhibit

Peterborough Public Library; lower foyer
345 Aylmer St N
Peterborough
705 745.5382
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Hours
Mon to Fri: 10 am – 8 pm
Sat & Sun: 10 am – 5 pm

Light the SPARK: Emerging Artist

Lezley Woodhams

Instagram @lezleywoodhams_photography
www.lezleywoodhamsphotography.com

Lezley Woodhams’ exhibit is sponsored by Stoneguide Realty Inc.

Bio
For 25 years, Lezley Woodhams has worked in photography and high-end image manipulation for Toronto advertising agencies. However, it was her time living on a farm in small town Uxbridge that ignited her passion for landscape photography. Lezley is fascinated how a solitary tree or rustic barn is transformed visually, and emotionally, by a change in season, time of day or weather patterns.

Recently the allure of shining waters, and colourful sunsets have drawn Lezley to move to the city of Kawartha Lakes, where you will find her out on the lake in her kayak, camera in hand. The resulting images are an intriguing mix of dynamic compositions, contrasting shapes, and expressive visual depth. Woodhams, through the lens of her camera, has found an inimitable peace in observing the world around her and capturing the quintessence of time and place. The images in series are a powerful metaphor for life’s joys and sorrows, inspirations and challenges.

Artist Statement
Most people stop noticing the locations, they pass by every day, but I tend to see these places in a different way. I am fascinated by the play of time, space, and light on surfaces, and trying to capture a unique moment when all the elements align in a particular way. I am drawn to the beauty of nature, gathering of light, intensity of colour, complexity of texture, the elegance of line or moment of stillness.

Lately I’ve been intrigued by the concept of taking photographs of the same place, but under different circumstances. Often, I will go back at different times of the day or a different season, with the same view point to do a careful study of the original setting. Seasons and variations in weather, time of day, clouds and light endlessly remake familiar landscapes. When comparing those images, I’ve captured from a specific view point, I am always amazed at how different the same scene can appear simply by changing the season, time of day, or type of weather condition during my visit. The images I see and capture exist only for a moment, then the wind picks up, the water moves, and the image changes into something else.

In this series, over the course of one year, I have photographed the exact same barn, with the same composition, the same angle, the same distance, and the same orientation to highlight the four different seasons as the year progresses. What an interesting way to show a year. Each period has its own charm and character. The landscape thus looks quite different depending on the season.

Changes in lighting and different seasons creates a dramatic shift in the mood and content of these images. How light interplays and interacts with the subject is important to me. When I shoot I remember that I am taking pictures of light, not just of an object.

Whether it is the golden glow of the field in Barn Study 2 Spring or the pink sky in Barn Study 1 Fall, this same location has something new to offer at any time depending on the season and the light variation and even depending on my own mood and inspiration. These images show how time can sometimes change everything, while some things stay the same.

I have been standing at that same spot, in different weather conditions, different seasons and different times of day to study my subjects in all environments on more occasions than I can remember and, to be quite honest, every time I stand there I get the same awe-inspiring feeling that surely fills every avid landscape photographer’s soul.

Scan to visit my website: www.LezleyWoodhamsPhotography.com

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