Photographers Alter ‘Reality’
In Cooler Gallery Show

The new show at the Cooler Gallery in White River Junction, "Altered Reality," features seven artists who use photography as a starting point for their work, but then manipulate the prints in various ways to provide their own versions of "reality."

The show will be open from Tuesday, Sept. 4-Saturday, Sept. 29. An open house and reception for the artists will be held Friday, Sept. 7, as part of White River Junction’s monthly "First Friday" art and cultural openings. Photographer-artists in the show include Bobbe Besold, Trish Crapo, Bradley Fox, Elizabeth Nelson, Holly Roberts, Gaal Shepherd, and Dick Wilson.

There was a time when photographs were considered only reportage, literally not only describing the world, but providing what was real. Before digital photography met the modern consumer and Photoshop software became commonplace, a small number of artists decided to try painting their realities right on top of photographs.

Holly Roberts of Santa Fe, N.M., became a pioneer in the practice when she began "playing" with paint on her silver prints. Her psychological and archetypical images haunted viewers, perhaps in part because she was living on a Zuni reservation when she was developing her new work. Roberts has developed an international following, and two books of her work have been published.

Bobbe Besold, Roberts’ sister-in-law, is a social activist who finds that combining text with photos and drawing allows her more control of her intended message. Besold is a resident artist at the Vermont Studio Center this September.

Gaal Shepherd, who is probably better known for her landscape pastels and wood sculptures, began altering photos while studying at the Corcoran School of Art, encouraged by a painting professor.

Painters Elizabeth Nelson, Bradley Fox and collage artist Trish Crapo all have their own styles and objectives, but clearly the literal is of less interest than the poetic.

Dick Wilson’s work stands alone, because he alters the images before they are printed. Commonplace scenes and objects become mysterious as he magnifies, blurs, and filters what we would normally see.

The Cooler Gallery & Shop’s regular hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The gallery is located in the Tip Top Building at 85 North Main Street in White River Junction. For more information, call 802-295-8008.

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