We would like to thank everyone for supporting us during the one
year construction
phase of our gallery and studio space, and also for everyone showing
up for our
opening night. We have been open for 3 months and the response
and support has
been great. Sylva has opened its arms and made us feel very welcome.
A special
thanks goes to the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce,
SPIR - Sylva Partners
In Renewal, and our friends and neighbors. We thank you for
everything you
have done for us, we wouldn't be doing this without your help!
Sarah
and Matthew in the Main Gallery
1st
annual Penumbra Gallery and Studio Photo Competition.
.
Penumbra is
proud to present its first annual photography
competition and exhibition. Contestants will be required
to fill out and send entry form, slides or 8 x 10 unframed
prints for judging, and fees. Upon notification you will
be required to bring or ship framed works chosen for a month
long show to Penumbra's Sylva location.
Awards will be a 1st place cash prize and a one month exhibition
in our main gallery with an opening night. Photos
will be available for purchase.
There
will also be an online version of the exhibition to be included
on our web site for 12 months or until the 2nd annual show.
On the web exhibition 1st place will get to show six images,
2nd and 3rd place will get to show 3 images, and rest of
exhibition will get one image on web site. Please go to
the Competition and Exhibition page for more information
and to download the Prospectus and entry form.
It's been a long time
coming, hanging up the hammers and getting out the cameras. Shortly
after our photo competition and exhibition in March - April,
we plan to have another opening with all of our new work and
the web site updated. We are very excited about getting
to make images again, and we have a few surprises too.
Sarah Torina "Train
Station" Hand colored b&w print
week
of October 8, 2003
Photo gallery features original work of owners
article written by Sarah Kucharski
A
four-minute exposure draws out the shadows bringing detail
to eaves and overhangs, searching for crosshatches and window
frames like a blind man’s fingers.
And a photographer sits and waits, shutter eye open, looking
for the moment to capture, print and hang on the gallery
wall.
For Matthew Turlington a total of 15 moments, edited down
from more than 800 shots taken in and around the Jackson
Paper Company, made their way from the darkroom to the wall,
welcoming visitors to Penumbra — Sylva’s newest
photo gallery.
Located on West Main Street, Penumbra is the culmination
of years spent studying and teaching by Turlington and his
fiancé, Sarah Torina. Turlington was born in Harnett
County, but moved to Wilmington at age 16. After high school
he earned an associate’s degree in Graphic Design
from James Sprunt Community College, a degree that took
seven years to complete as Turlington was working as a correctional
officer at the time.
But his classes gave him access to the school darkroom
where he spent a majority of his time experimenting and
teaching himself about the art of developing film. Hoping
to further his knowledge and break into a career that would
allow him to take the type of photos he wanted to take,
Turlington ventured into the mountains to study photography
at Western Carolina University.
It was there that Turlington met Torina, also a photography
student, and the two minds melded. Torina, originally from
Memphis and the daughter of a painter, shared Turlington’s
interests, and after a year together the couple moved to
Boulder, Co.
In Boulder, Turlington began work on a master’s degree
in photography and electronic media. His studies led him
to consider a career in academia, but together Turlington
and Torina decided they had grown weary of the scrubby brush
and dried grasses of the Rockies. It was time to move on.
Move on or move back, that is.
The couple relocated to Sylva and moved in to the vacant
second floor of a Main Street shop where they spent a year
turning the space into an office, a darkroom, a private
apartment and two galleries for their work.
In the front gallery, Torina’s studio work catches
the light from the afternoon sun. A high heel and flowers
swim in a fish tank in the piece “Commitment,”
and an unhappy space explorer glances upward out of his
suitcase home in “Emerald City.”
Torina’s materials come from thrift stores and throw
away bins, a whimsical yet somewhat ironic amalgamation
that turns leftovers into full-course dinners for the eye.
“My work is a series confronting contemporary society’s
desire for the new,” says her artist’s statement.
“The images are ambiguous, as if you were visualizing
emotions.”
Back in Turlington’s L-shaped gallery, selections
from the Jackson Paper Company series and almost abstract
takes on nature line the walls. The pieces range from darkened
train cars caught in nearly tangible clarity to gritty soft-focuses
that seem to only hint at their subject.
Penumbra has been open now for four months and so far the
response has been positive, Turlington said. In addition
to showcasing the work of Turlington and Torina, the gallery
is a setting for classes in black and white photography,
custom portraiture and multi-media services.
Tentative plans have been made to host an amatuer photography
competition in the spring, as well as develop a central
website for Western North Carolina artists to use as an
online portfolio.
“We want to go beyond just being an art gallery,”
Turlington said.
A
four-minute exposure draws out the shadows bringing detail
to eaves and overhangs, searching for crosshatches and window
frames like a blind man’s fingers. 