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Randy Richmond exhibits at Gallery Ten to benefit Door County Land Trust
Photo-based "magical realism" featured next at Charlene's
July 13, 2006
by Steve Kastner
GILLS ROCK, WI - For
twenty years the Door
County Land Trust has been working to protect and preserve the
Door Peninsula. For fifteen of those years artist Randy Richmond has been inspired and driven by the fragile beauty
of the peninsula's ecology to record and document it in his photographs.
Richmond notes that nature has been the direct source of inspiration for timeless numbers of artists that have
preceded him in this effort: "From Native American pictographs created at the base of Door Bluff many centuries
ago to the functional work of potters, woodworkers and landscape architects, we continue to add a vast array of
paintings, drawings and other two-dimensional work. What emerges is a clear illustration of the magic inspired
by this rocky strip of land that divides Lake Michigan from Green Bay."
It is obvious to Richmond and to anyone that views his work, that art and nature are directly linked. He and Gallery
Ten's owner, Charlene Berg, decided to bolster that connection with an exhibit that would demonstrate their appreciation
for one of the Peninsula's most highly regarded environmental preservationist groups. Twenty percent of sales from
the forthcoming Richmond exhibit will go to the Door County Land Trust in support and gratitude for all the work
they have accomplished in protecting and preserving the beauty of Door County.
The exhibit includes many of what Richmond calls his "psychological landscapes," layered photomontages
that depict his concerns regarding the fragility of the natural beauty that remains on the Door Peninsula. Richmond
creates his photo-based art utilizing a "digital zone system" he formulated to blend digital imagery
in a manner that calls to mind the classic darkroom zone system of Ansel Adams. Part of the exhibit also pays homage
to that tradition by including several black and white photographs, many of which are the components digitized
to create the landscape montages.
Terrie Cooper, Land Director for the DCLT, is also an inspiration to
Richmond taking him through forests and down little known trails through land that early preservation pioneers
helped to acquire. He says that early on he realized Cooper is an inspired artist of a different sort.
"Her land protection is a collaborative kind of art," he explains. "It appears in and inspires all
of the work that I have produced for this exhibit.
As a digital artist, Randy says he adheres to two basic philosophical principles of creation; "Knowing when
to stop by understanding when a work is finished," and "just because I can, doesn't mean I should."
He sees this artistic formula as applicable to the general dynamic regarding all of Door County: "When people
decide to make a physical transition from their large, loud, and fast suburban lives to the intimate beauty of
Door County, it's important that they make a transition in their way of thinking and living. Can Door County remain
an escape and a refuge if we duplicate most everything we came here to escape from?"
"The beauty of Door County is the kind that you have to breathe in, walk through, wallow in and wrap around
you like a big, wet, freshly painted canvas. However, this beauty is lost beneath urbanized yards with daffodils
planted in the woods amidst clusters of generic condos."
Richmond has been exhibiting his work at Charlene's Gallery Ten since its inception, ten years ago. "These
latest images were all produced with the mission of the Door County Land Trust in mind. All of them have been done
to acknowledge the gift of inspiration that land protectors offer to artists."
You can meet Randy Richmond and many members of the Door County Land Trust in person at Charlene's Gallery Ten
in Gills Rock on Saturday, July 15 from 5 - 7 PM in celebrating the opening of his benefit show. This summer marks
the 20th Anniversary of the Door County Land Trust. Since its inception in 1986, the Land Trust has preserved nearly
4,000 acres of Door County's most scenic and ecologically important landscapes.
Charlene's Gallery Ten represents over 100 artists in
a gallery collection that is contemporary, original and eclectic. GT Coffee, complements the gallery, serving espresso
drinks and Door County cherry pie by-the-slice daily from 8 AM to 5 PM. The gallery is open daily from 10 AM to
5 PM at 12625 Hwy. 42 in Gills Rock, Wisconsin. Telephone 920.854.9907 for further information or visit on-line
at www.GalleryTen.com.
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