This October, Perspective Gallery will exhibit distinctive work from two local photographers who are using uncommon processes to create their art. Wilmette photographer, Katsy Johnson, utilizes a process called photo encaustics to layer a photographic image with a blend of wax, resin and paint. Evanston photographer, Suzanne Metzel, creates her work by transferring images to a steel-backed plate and then printing them on an etching press, a process called polymer photogravure.

Johnson’s show, “It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time,” focuses on architectural remnants of intentions gone awry. A self-proclaimed sucker for lost causes, Johnson has come across sites memorable for their failed opportunities or objectives. Her photo encaustic works cover a span of venues — from the central Plains, to the waters of the Gulf Coast, and across the sea to Paris.

It is in those places where she’s photographed futuristic looking buildings built before their times or designed with fatal flaws, such as the dome houses of Cape Romano, the unfinished steel canyon dwelling of an avant grade architect, and an an otherworldly, Finnish “Futuro” house left in a fallow Texas field.

Her images also include an overgrown entrance to the long deserted “Exposition Coloniale” or “human zoo” outside of Paris, a stairwell leading nowhere in a Midwest ghost town, or the base of a bridge whose workers were put in the path of a hurricane. All serve as haunting reminders of disintegrated populations and misguided pursuits.

Suzanne Metzel’s exhibit, “The Four Legged Muse,” had its beginning nearly 30 years ago at the Evanston Art Center where she learned the art of intaglio. From printmaking, she later moved to medium-format film photography.

In this show, she uses a variety of photographic processes to produce her images, including polymer photogravure. According to Metzel, “Polymer photogravure is a slow, laborious and definitely hands-on process which involves the transfer of an image to a steel-backed plate and then using an etching press to print it.”

For her series, Metzel has turned to one of her favorite subjects for inspiration – her pet dogs. As the proud owner of three delightful but infuriating Italian Greyhounds, “The Four-Legged Muse” explores their beauty and antics both digitally and through the magic of printmaking.

The exhibition runs from September 29 thru October 30. The opening reception, hosted by the artists, will be held on October 1, from 5-7 p.m. A conversation with the artists is scheduled for October 20 at 7 p.m.
The public is cordially invited to attend all events.

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Tags: Evanston, It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time, Katsy Johnson, Perspective Gallery, Suzanne Metzel, The Four-Legged Muse