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Decagon Gallery
March 2025
Abstractions
the art of seeing differently
A Note From Our Juror:
John Diephouse
Prismatica
I am a self-taught photographer and collage artist and am attracted to a variety of subject matter. My interests range from natural landscapes, botanicals and wildlife to images that provide either abstract expression or social commentary. I share images that evoke a story of some kind that may be simply documentary, reflect a sense of time and place, or resonate on a more abstract level of color, shape or form. Others provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection.
Most often I am drawn back to images created while wandering through the back roads of the upper Midwest. These images of architecture, commerce and social life often reflect a mixture of nostalgia and a changing set of forces that shape life in the heartlands.
I have exhibited widely and have earned recognition in local, regional, and national exhibitions. My photographs are also included in several corporate and private collections.
I am a self-taught photographer and collage artist and am attracted to a variety of subject matter. My interests range from natural landscapes, botanicals and wildlife to images that provide either abstract expression or social commentary. I share images that evoke a story of some kind that may be simply documentary, reflect a sense of time and place, or resonate on a more abstract level of color, shape or form. Others provoke an indefinable question that does not readily yield answers without further study and reflection.
Most often I am drawn back to images created while wandering through the back roads of the upper Midwest. These images of architecture, commerce and social life often reflect a mixture of nostalgia and a changing set of forces that shape life in the heartlands.
I have exhibited widely and have earned recognition in local, regional, and national exhibitions. My photographs are also included in several corporate and private collections.
Cindy Mathias
Canna Series #1
I am a photographer who is driven to capture the abstract in nature and its compositional possibilities.
The intricate patterns and vibrant hues of the Canna plant have inspired me to create a series of photographic botanical abstraction.
My current work includes botanicals, landscapes, waterscapes, reflections and whatever I am moved by at the moment.
I am a photographer who is driven to capture the abstract in nature and its compositional possibilities.
The intricate patterns and vibrant hues of the Canna plant have inspired me to create a series of photographic botanical abstraction.
My current work includes botanicals, landscapes, waterscapes, reflections and whatever I am moved by at the moment.
Lorenzo Vitali
New York Blues 2
Creative and experimental, always attentive to new artistic proposals in his environment, Lorenzo develops the aesthetic sense of his works by combining classic elements and innovation. He pays particular attention to shapes and materiality. He frames his work by him in a conceptual discourse with a marked tendency towards formal research.
Creative and experimental, always attentive to new artistic proposals in his environment, Lorenzo develops the aesthetic sense of his works by combining classic elements and innovation. He pays particular attention to shapes and materiality. He frames his work by him in a conceptual discourse with a marked tendency towards formal research.
Hali Sowle
Skyscraper Symmetry
People rush around today and often don’t take the time to see what is around them; they go from here to there and barely notice what is in between. That is why I enjoy photography as it forces me to slow down, look and see what is around me, and appreciate the journey of going from one point to another. I enjoy finding the usual, and the unusual and creating art that isn't necessarily a reflection of what is, but what could be.
People rush around today and often don’t take the time to see what is around them; they go from here to there and barely notice what is in between. That is why I enjoy photography as it forces me to slow down, look and see what is around me, and appreciate the journey of going from one point to another. I enjoy finding the usual, and the unusual and creating art that isn't necessarily a reflection of what is, but what could be.
Jennifer Cunningham
In the Queue
In my Carwash series, I explore the intersection of the everyday and the unseen. The car wash, an often overlooked and mundane task serves as my play ground. It is a space where water, light, and vibrant color collide in fleeting, unexpected moments. By focusing on the intricate details of this progression of machines and processes that usually lack creativity, I aim to reveal the hidden beauty, capturing a unique distortion of light, shadow, and motion that will never occur the exact same again.
Each photograph celebrates the transitory nature of these moments, a precise instance of chaos and harmony. Water rushes, colors shift, and light refracts in an intricate dance, creating an ephemeral landscape that blurs the line between reality and abstraction. What might seem like a simple act of cleaning a car becomes an opportunity to witness a brief, surreal spectacle, a burst of unexpected brilliance that happens in the blink of an eye.
In my Carwash series, I explore the intersection of the everyday and the unseen. The car wash, an often overlooked and mundane task serves as my play ground. It is a space where water, light, and vibrant color collide in fleeting, unexpected moments. By focusing on the intricate details of this progression of machines and processes that usually lack creativity, I aim to reveal the hidden beauty, capturing a unique distortion of light, shadow, and motion that will never occur the exact same again.
Each photograph celebrates the transitory nature of these moments, a precise instance of chaos and harmony. Water rushes, colors shift, and light refracts in an intricate dance, creating an ephemeral landscape that blurs the line between reality and abstraction. What might seem like a simple act of cleaning a car becomes an opportunity to witness a brief, surreal spectacle, a burst of unexpected brilliance that happens in the blink of an eye.
Catherine Siem
Transformation
Photography is my art. It is very healing for me. I find it, peaceful and calming. I love to get lost in a piece of art. A single ray of light inspires me. The light can be natural sunlight or colored lights. I use pieces of broken mirrors, assortment of glass, crystals, paper, shiny glitter object as tools. I am in constant motion, moving the objects and my body in various ways to manipulate and distort the ray of light.
I am able to create different colored shapes, sharp, bold lines, soft, flowing lines that bleed into one another, creating an assortment of unique, color combinations, and patterns. I want others to enjoy my art as much as I enjoy creating it. I can look at one of my photos several times explore it from different angles. I will discover something new.
My imagination then creates story for each photo. Each piece of art that you own tell us a story about you. I hope my artwork can be part of your story.
Photography is my art. It is very healing for me. I find it, peaceful and calming. I love to get lost in a piece of art. A single ray of light inspires me. The light can be natural sunlight or colored lights. I use pieces of broken mirrors, assortment of glass, crystals, paper, shiny glitter object as tools. I am in constant motion, moving the objects and my body in various ways to manipulate and distort the ray of light.
I am able to create different colored shapes, sharp, bold lines, soft, flowing lines that bleed into one another, creating an assortment of unique, color combinations, and patterns. I want others to enjoy my art as much as I enjoy creating it. I can look at one of my photos several times explore it from different angles. I will discover something new.
My imagination then creates story for each photo. Each piece of art that you own tell us a story about you. I hope my artwork can be part of your story.
Lara Morgan
The Echo of Us in This Room
The ocean makes frequent appearances in my dreams. When I lived near the coast I would make trips after the sun went down to the quietest beaches I could find. I would set up my view camera, open the lens and let the film record the tide pushing in and pulling away. Meanwhile, I'd sit in the sand concentrating on the wind against my skin and the briny air. Sharing a bed is an intimate dance unique to every couple. Becoming familiar with our lover’s nocturnal behaviors is one of the most delightful ways we become entangled with one another. Before I ever spend the night with you I know which side of the bed you'll choose. You need a soft light coming from another room, I sleep in total darkness. None of these preferences matter, my habits are reset and become our habits. When I fell in love I stopped taking my camera on night-time excursions to the shore. The salty ocean air whipping through my hair was exchanged for lustful tousling. Instead of making long exposures of expansive bodies of water, I was making long exposures of our bodies during the night. I dreamt of the sea. ‘Reaching Into the Mind for Love’ is an invitation into an ethereal love affair. Traces of light pass through a ‘normal’ lens. The light whispers for hours to the gelatin and silver that sits recording its story at the back of the old press camera. What has been recorded is raw, unrefined and difficult at times to understand. The photographs exist between the doorway to my dreams and the soft glow of morning light entering the window. Entwined feet and arms escape the bedsheets like swimmers emerging from beneath the ocean's rolling surface. Sometimes the figures remain very still, existing within a hazy fog. Other times their movements make them indistinguishable from a tangle of pillows and blankets as the movement in the sheets mimics ripples in the sand no longer touched by the tide. My affinity for the sea returns to my lens from within my dreams.
The ocean makes frequent appearances in my dreams. When I lived near the coast I would make trips after the sun went down to the quietest beaches I could find. I would set up my view camera, open the lens and let the film record the tide pushing in and pulling away. Meanwhile, I'd sit in the sand concentrating on the wind against my skin and the briny air. Sharing a bed is an intimate dance unique to every couple. Becoming familiar with our lover’s nocturnal behaviors is one of the most delightful ways we become entangled with one another. Before I ever spend the night with you I know which side of the bed you'll choose. You need a soft light coming from another room, I sleep in total darkness. None of these preferences matter, my habits are reset and become our habits. When I fell in love I stopped taking my camera on night-time excursions to the shore. The salty ocean air whipping through my hair was exchanged for lustful tousling. Instead of making long exposures of expansive bodies of water, I was making long exposures of our bodies during the night. I dreamt of the sea. ‘Reaching Into the Mind for Love’ is an invitation into an ethereal love affair. Traces of light pass through a ‘normal’ lens. The light whispers for hours to the gelatin and silver that sits recording its story at the back of the old press camera. What has been recorded is raw, unrefined and difficult at times to understand. The photographs exist between the doorway to my dreams and the soft glow of morning light entering the window. Entwined feet and arms escape the bedsheets like swimmers emerging from beneath the ocean's rolling surface. Sometimes the figures remain very still, existing within a hazy fog. Other times their movements make them indistinguishable from a tangle of pillows and blankets as the movement in the sheets mimics ripples in the sand no longer touched by the tide. My affinity for the sea returns to my lens from within my dreams.
Don Jacobson
Lightning Formation
I see the world differently now. The camera, which narrows the field of vision, has actually expanded my vision. When I realized I was viewing reality as if it were a series of photographs, I initially questioned that perspective. Now, I know my perception is enhanced and enriched from my pursuit of photography. An already dynamic and interesting world has become more so. I am delighted by quality of light, vibrancy of color, unexpected and often unnoticed detail. The stunning structure of an orchid, the intricate ornamentation on an older building, or dishes stacked in a dish drainer are fascinating to me. Abstractions and patterns are richer and invite investigation. My subject matter is limitless. Anything that appeals to my eye is fair game for my camera.
I see the world differently now. The camera, which narrows the field of vision, has actually expanded my vision. When I realized I was viewing reality as if it were a series of photographs, I initially questioned that perspective. Now, I know my perception is enhanced and enriched from my pursuit of photography. An already dynamic and interesting world has become more so. I am delighted by quality of light, vibrancy of color, unexpected and often unnoticed detail. The stunning structure of an orchid, the intricate ornamentation on an older building, or dishes stacked in a dish drainer are fascinating to me. Abstractions and patterns are richer and invite investigation. My subject matter is limitless. Anything that appeals to my eye is fair game for my camera.
Barbara Tabachnick
Cosmic Studio
At heart I’m an experimental artist—“What will happen if…?” I work in acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, mixed media and digital photography at all levels of (occasional) realism and abstraction. Content, if any, usually relates to architecture and landscapes, particularly trees. I love to explore phone and computer apps – digital creation and manipulation of images provides hours of joy playing with my thousands of images. I make art because the process feels good and the anticipation of the outcome is exhilarating. My favorite works include a bit of whimsy, a touch of the incongruous, some ambiguity and, perhaps, a measure of beauty. Social commentary is an occasional added bonus.
At heart I’m an experimental artist—“What will happen if…?” I work in acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, mixed media and digital photography at all levels of (occasional) realism and abstraction. Content, if any, usually relates to architecture and landscapes, particularly trees. I love to explore phone and computer apps – digital creation and manipulation of images provides hours of joy playing with my thousands of images. I make art because the process feels good and the anticipation of the outcome is exhilarating. My favorite works include a bit of whimsy, a touch of the incongruous, some ambiguity and, perhaps, a measure of beauty. Social commentary is an occasional added bonus.
Carlos Esguerra
Robinsons Antipolo
I am a landscape and architecture photographer. I want to show the beauty of nature and the genius of man-made structures through my photography. But very often, I get attracted to subjects that do not seem to have any relation to reality but are visually compelling and fascinating. I see beauty and order in chaos in abstract images. I can not explain the attraction other than the strong visual challenge to my perception of reality. After I have processed an image and I hold in my hands a printed copy of the abstraction, it generates a smile and a child-like giddiness that is unexplainable. It is not art for art's sake. It is more than that. The abstraction has it own innate power to generate an unexplainable reaction and relationship to the image.
I am a landscape and architecture photographer. I want to show the beauty of nature and the genius of man-made structures through my photography. But very often, I get attracted to subjects that do not seem to have any relation to reality but are visually compelling and fascinating. I see beauty and order in chaos in abstract images. I can not explain the attraction other than the strong visual challenge to my perception of reality. After I have processed an image and I hold in my hands a printed copy of the abstraction, it generates a smile and a child-like giddiness that is unexplainable. It is not art for art's sake. It is more than that. The abstraction has it own innate power to generate an unexplainable reaction and relationship to the image.
Bill Rumbler
ArtTown
I'm a landscape photographer who specializes in the lush, green hills and craggy coastline of Central California. I'll trek most any distance and climb any hill to get a shot that makes you want to fly over the hills and trees, or the rocks and waves.
I'm a landscape photographer who specializes in the lush, green hills and craggy coastline of Central California. I'll trek most any distance and climb any hill to get a shot that makes you want to fly over the hills and trees, or the rocks and waves.
Barbara Sammons
Petals in Motion
Barbara Sammons is an award-winning photographer, artist, and published writer with over 50 years behind the camera. Her favorite subjects to photograph are Junkyard Cars and Trucks and Mother Nature. Her love of travel has taken her to Egypt, Italy, France, England and most of North America. Photography is a passion and a means of self-expression for Barbara. She is also an artist who loves the freedom to create visual pieces that may be outside the box. Her favorite medium is pen and ink, watercolor and collage. Her designs range from botanical drawings to very whimsical inspirations. Everything has a story. People have a story, objects have a story, and, of course, words have a story. When I put brush to paper, I want to tell a story. I want to capture your interest and hope you stay and wander around and maybe find your own story. Watercolor is a medium that allows me to be free with my ideas, whether it be botanical or abstract. I am a self-taught artist who entered the world of photography and writing in my early teens and then gradually added painting in my retirement years. Originally from Los Angeles, California, I now reside in the small, coastal town of Southport, North Carolina. The beaches have a story, the shells have a story, and the sea always has a story.
Barbara Sammons is an award-winning photographer, artist, and published writer with over 50 years behind the camera. Her favorite subjects to photograph are Junkyard Cars and Trucks and Mother Nature. Her love of travel has taken her to Egypt, Italy, France, England and most of North America. Photography is a passion and a means of self-expression for Barbara. She is also an artist who loves the freedom to create visual pieces that may be outside the box. Her favorite medium is pen and ink, watercolor and collage. Her designs range from botanical drawings to very whimsical inspirations. Everything has a story. People have a story, objects have a story, and, of course, words have a story. When I put brush to paper, I want to tell a story. I want to capture your interest and hope you stay and wander around and maybe find your own story. Watercolor is a medium that allows me to be free with my ideas, whether it be botanical or abstract. I am a self-taught artist who entered the world of photography and writing in my early teens and then gradually added painting in my retirement years. Originally from Los Angeles, California, I now reside in the small, coastal town of Southport, North Carolina. The beaches have a story, the shells have a story, and the sea always has a story.
Anice Hoachlander
East Wing
Guided by a desire to look more closely at the natural world around me, I find myself drawn to elements of the organic environment—trees, fungi, vegetables, flowers, leaves and building materials - to reveal the intricate patterns that abound at differing scales. I am fascinated with the miniature and enjoy enlarging small, often overlooked, patterns in objects for all to experience. I use macro capture photography and image stacking techniques to create sharpness and detail. Many of my images require stacks of 25-50 individual captures layered and masked to create one final photograph. I am never quite sure what the images ultimately reveal until the final photograph is complete. I am also currently developing a study of the oyster mushroom. Searching for a connection between nature and my love of architecture led to the discovery that mushrooms may be key to a sustainable future in construction and remediation. Architects are increasingly playing a key role in designing sustainable solutions. Biotech companies are using mycelium to grow durable, compostable packaging materials. And, over 50 types of mushrooms — the oyster mushroom being one — can digest and break down plastics. Primordial, aquatic, lyrical and indomitable describe how these organisms speak to me. And, last but not least, is my interest in the Precisionist movement of the 1920s and how the painters and photographers of that time influence me as I create structural abstractions of the natural environment and building materials, such as corten steel.
Guided by a desire to look more closely at the natural world around me, I find myself drawn to elements of the organic environment—trees, fungi, vegetables, flowers, leaves and building materials - to reveal the intricate patterns that abound at differing scales. I am fascinated with the miniature and enjoy enlarging small, often overlooked, patterns in objects for all to experience. I use macro capture photography and image stacking techniques to create sharpness and detail. Many of my images require stacks of 25-50 individual captures layered and masked to create one final photograph. I am never quite sure what the images ultimately reveal until the final photograph is complete. I am also currently developing a study of the oyster mushroom. Searching for a connection between nature and my love of architecture led to the discovery that mushrooms may be key to a sustainable future in construction and remediation. Architects are increasingly playing a key role in designing sustainable solutions. Biotech companies are using mycelium to grow durable, compostable packaging materials. And, over 50 types of mushrooms — the oyster mushroom being one — can digest and break down plastics. Primordial, aquatic, lyrical and indomitable describe how these organisms speak to me. And, last but not least, is my interest in the Precisionist movement of the 1920s and how the painters and photographers of that time influence me as I create structural abstractions of the natural environment and building materials, such as corten steel.
Becky Chapman
Forest Dreams
My journey into forest photography began years ago with a powerful introduction to Emily Carr's forest paintings. Their raw beauty ignited a passion within me.Moved by their spirit, I've pursued my own photographic interpretations of the forest's abstract soul.
My journey into forest photography began years ago with a powerful introduction to Emily Carr's forest paintings. Their raw beauty ignited a passion within me.Moved by their spirit, I've pursued my own photographic interpretations of the forest's abstract soul.
António Domingos
Gray
"As an abstract painter, my photos are a kind of “readymade” paintings, surfaces that are worked by the hand of time, where wood, half-devoured by the cold grey of the mist, had stories of smoke and dust written by the wind."
António Domingos was born in Porto in 1957.
Degree in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto (FBAUP). He dedicates himself to Painting and Photography , in parallel with his teaching activity and poetic performance.
"As an abstract painter, my photos are a kind of “readymade” paintings, surfaces that are worked by the hand of time, where wood, half-devoured by the cold grey of the mist, had stories of smoke and dust written by the wind."
António Domingos was born in Porto in 1957.
Degree in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Porto (FBAUP). He dedicates himself to Painting and Photography , in parallel with his teaching activity and poetic performance.
Barbara Tabachnick
Starburst
At heart I’m an experimental artist—“What will happen if…?” I work in acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, mixed media and digital photography at all levels of (occasional) realism and abstraction. Content, if any, usually relates to architecture and landscapes, particularly trees. I love to explore phone and computer apps – digital creation and manipulation of images provides hours of joy playing with my thousands of images. I make art because the process feels good and the anticipation of the outcome is exhilarating. My favorite works include a bit of whimsy, a touch of the incongruous, some ambiguity and, perhaps, a measure of beauty. Social commentary is an occasional added bonus.
At heart I’m an experimental artist—“What will happen if…?” I work in acrylic, watercolor, encaustic, mixed media and digital photography at all levels of (occasional) realism and abstraction. Content, if any, usually relates to architecture and landscapes, particularly trees. I love to explore phone and computer apps – digital creation and manipulation of images provides hours of joy playing with my thousands of images. I make art because the process feels good and the anticipation of the outcome is exhilarating. My favorite works include a bit of whimsy, a touch of the incongruous, some ambiguity and, perhaps, a measure of beauty. Social commentary is an occasional added bonus.
Anne Dignam
Vortex of Perception
I am passionate about my love of photography and the ability it provides me to express what I see and feel in the world that surrounds me. For me, it's about stimulating the viewer's visual perspective. I strive to speak to the viewer emotionally, intellectually, and awaken the cognitive experience. The challenge s to keep the viewer engaged.
I am passionate about my love of photography and the ability it provides me to express what I see and feel in the world that surrounds me. For me, it's about stimulating the viewer's visual perspective. I strive to speak to the viewer emotionally, intellectually, and awaken the cognitive experience. The challenge s to keep the viewer engaged.
Brigitte B Burckhardt
Golden
Brigitte lives in Switzerland. She is a self-taught photographer and started shooting as a child inspired by her grandfather whose name she chose to bear as an artist.She travelled the globe in her twenties and gained experience in landscape,street life and travel photography.
Later in life she started experimenting with other approaches like abstract photography.She started exhibiting her art in 2022 in the US, followed exhibits in 2024 in the UK and a special edition publication at Docu Magazine.In 2025 exhibitions took place or are taking place in the UK, Athens, Milan, Basel, Zürich and the US. She also had her work published in the Divide Magazine.More is to come.
The submitted photographs were taken at home by a lake where I decided to play with light in an abstract form.
Brigitte lives in Switzerland. She is a self-taught photographer and started shooting as a child inspired by her grandfather whose name she chose to bear as an artist.She travelled the globe in her twenties and gained experience in landscape,street life and travel photography.
Later in life she started experimenting with other approaches like abstract photography.She started exhibiting her art in 2022 in the US, followed exhibits in 2024 in the UK and a special edition publication at Docu Magazine.In 2025 exhibitions took place or are taking place in the UK, Athens, Milan, Basel, Zürich and the US. She also had her work published in the Divide Magazine.More is to come.
The submitted photographs were taken at home by a lake where I decided to play with light in an abstract form.
Jim Geitgey
Shadow Lands
While I hope that the abstract images I record can be appreciated for their inherent beauty, and the “surficial” design elements of the subject matter, I am also interested in creating images that allow us to interrogate and interact with the psychological elements that abstract imagery may evoke. It is this enigmatic terrain that I find myself drawn to, both as an observer and an image maker. As an artist, that journey begins for me when I frame an image in my viewfinder, and isolate a strand from the whole. There is a nexus of light, shadow, forms, and textures that has come to exist at that place and time, with myself as witness, that I am at that moment compelled to record. These abstracted fragments reveal some information while at the same time concealing. I believe the best of these images speak not of the greater reality from which they are drawn, but provoke new questions, leaving ample room for our imaginations to sketch in the missing pieces. Ultimately, this interactive process says at least as much about the viewer as the image. In many ways, I think this is what art does when it is at its best. It takes us on a journey, it causes us to ask questions, it lets us use our imagination, it puzzles, surprises, and ideally delights us. It’s a respite from our often-stressful daily lives, providing the opportunity to recharge and reset, mentally and emotionally. To attend to the care and feeding of our very souls. This, then, is what can happen when we take the time to linger, to look beneath the surface of the obvious, and contemplate the Terra Enigmata.
While I hope that the abstract images I record can be appreciated for their inherent beauty, and the “surficial” design elements of the subject matter, I am also interested in creating images that allow us to interrogate and interact with the psychological elements that abstract imagery may evoke. It is this enigmatic terrain that I find myself drawn to, both as an observer and an image maker. As an artist, that journey begins for me when I frame an image in my viewfinder, and isolate a strand from the whole. There is a nexus of light, shadow, forms, and textures that has come to exist at that place and time, with myself as witness, that I am at that moment compelled to record. These abstracted fragments reveal some information while at the same time concealing. I believe the best of these images speak not of the greater reality from which they are drawn, but provoke new questions, leaving ample room for our imaginations to sketch in the missing pieces. Ultimately, this interactive process says at least as much about the viewer as the image. In many ways, I think this is what art does when it is at its best. It takes us on a journey, it causes us to ask questions, it lets us use our imagination, it puzzles, surprises, and ideally delights us. It’s a respite from our often-stressful daily lives, providing the opportunity to recharge and reset, mentally and emotionally. To attend to the care and feeding of our very souls. This, then, is what can happen when we take the time to linger, to look beneath the surface of the obvious, and contemplate the Terra Enigmata.
Nancy Blair
Silent Story: Skin Two
Silent Story: Skin is a series of color photos that challenges conventional ideals of beauty and perfection by celebrating the raw, unfiltered images of aging skin through a mysterious and curious abstracted lens. Intimate close-up photographs transform wrinkles, folds and textures into landscapes and patterns that challenge conventional perceptions of aging. By removing the context of the body as background, each wrinkle, line, scar and texture tells a quiet story where lines and veins become maps and pores become constellations. These images are declarations and reflections on more than what the eyes see. In this abstract framing, skin is not longer just a surface but a testament to time, experience, and individuality.
Silent Story: Skin is a series of color photos that challenges conventional ideals of beauty and perfection by celebrating the raw, unfiltered images of aging skin through a mysterious and curious abstracted lens. Intimate close-up photographs transform wrinkles, folds and textures into landscapes and patterns that challenge conventional perceptions of aging. By removing the context of the body as background, each wrinkle, line, scar and texture tells a quiet story where lines and veins become maps and pores become constellations. These images are declarations and reflections on more than what the eyes see. In this abstract framing, skin is not longer just a surface but a testament to time, experience, and individuality.
Claude DeBacker
Graphics 1
These images are all taken with the iPhone. Some are used as templates for graphics studies in PS, others are purely spontaneous phone play in my immediate neighborhood and are labeled "Block Notes". Others yet are using the intrinsic phone options as in "Undertow", revealing my curiosity in technical decontrol and simultaneously expressing the dystopia of our times. None of these are using promptography.
These images are all taken with the iPhone. Some are used as templates for graphics studies in PS, others are purely spontaneous phone play in my immediate neighborhood and are labeled "Block Notes". Others yet are using the intrinsic phone options as in "Undertow", revealing my curiosity in technical decontrol and simultaneously expressing the dystopia of our times. None of these are using promptography.
Samantha Simpson-Katz
Emerald Prisms
My name is Samantha Simpson-Katz, and I am a NYC-based RN and photography student at F.I.T. Last semester, I started a project called "Leave a Light On," which is all about making the light source the subject of the image. I am particularly interested in showing movement in my photographs. Initially, I only moved the light source to these create images, but currently I am experimenting with moving the camera to create something new.
My name is Samantha Simpson-Katz, and I am a NYC-based RN and photography student at F.I.T. Last semester, I started a project called "Leave a Light On," which is all about making the light source the subject of the image. I am particularly interested in showing movement in my photographs. Initially, I only moved the light source to these create images, but currently I am experimenting with moving the camera to create something new.
Ken Konchel
Facets
As a photographer, I am drawn to the expressive power of buildings. Provocatively capturing architecture in an abstract, graphic way keenly interests me. My intention is to make compelling photographs that remove the context and distill architecture to nothing but relationships of shape, line, pattern, form, detail, tone, and texture. An architectural photograph is not, to me, necessarily about a building, it is actually the creation of juxtaposition of spaces and creating an image of the relationship of those spaces. Architecture forms the physical environment of our lives. It connects us to the past, it helps define our relationships to one another, and it gives us a sense of place and identity. Architecture also embodies our values and expresses our individual and collective aspirations. And most importantly, architecture enhances and advances our creative legacy. Yet something so integral to the sense of who we are - something that contributes immeasurably to our quality of life – is often dismissed as mundane, taken for granted, or at worst ignored. My ambition is to raise awareness of and appreciation for architecture by presenting it as engaging and dynamic geometric arrangements and interactions. The singular purpose of my photography is to arrange a building's architectural content for maximum visual impact. More concisely expressed, I use photography to substantiate the connection between art and architecture. My aim is to photograph buildings in arresting ways, creating compositions that do not immediately reveal themselves as architecture. Buildings present rich opportunities for me to imaginatively explore the angle, the cube, the curve, the triangle, and the rectangle. By examining these forms individually or by grouping them into unconventional configurations, I aspire to challenge and captivate people by introducing them to architecture’s intriguing visual possibilities. I strive to take photographs that disclose their content in layers of meaning that more richly reward with repeated viewings. The images I cherish are of buildings I deem compelling, designed by practitioners who are consequential to the advancement of architecture as an art form. The celebrated photographer Minor White once said “I photograph not for what a thing was, but for what else it might be.” These words perfectly and eloquently express my own motivation in photographing architecture.
As a photographer, I am drawn to the expressive power of buildings. Provocatively capturing architecture in an abstract, graphic way keenly interests me. My intention is to make compelling photographs that remove the context and distill architecture to nothing but relationships of shape, line, pattern, form, detail, tone, and texture. An architectural photograph is not, to me, necessarily about a building, it is actually the creation of juxtaposition of spaces and creating an image of the relationship of those spaces. Architecture forms the physical environment of our lives. It connects us to the past, it helps define our relationships to one another, and it gives us a sense of place and identity. Architecture also embodies our values and expresses our individual and collective aspirations. And most importantly, architecture enhances and advances our creative legacy. Yet something so integral to the sense of who we are - something that contributes immeasurably to our quality of life – is often dismissed as mundane, taken for granted, or at worst ignored. My ambition is to raise awareness of and appreciation for architecture by presenting it as engaging and dynamic geometric arrangements and interactions. The singular purpose of my photography is to arrange a building's architectural content for maximum visual impact. More concisely expressed, I use photography to substantiate the connection between art and architecture. My aim is to photograph buildings in arresting ways, creating compositions that do not immediately reveal themselves as architecture. Buildings present rich opportunities for me to imaginatively explore the angle, the cube, the curve, the triangle, and the rectangle. By examining these forms individually or by grouping them into unconventional configurations, I aspire to challenge and captivate people by introducing them to architecture’s intriguing visual possibilities. I strive to take photographs that disclose their content in layers of meaning that more richly reward with repeated viewings. The images I cherish are of buildings I deem compelling, designed by practitioners who are consequential to the advancement of architecture as an art form. The celebrated photographer Minor White once said “I photograph not for what a thing was, but for what else it might be.” These words perfectly and eloquently express my own motivation in photographing architecture.
Hali Sowle
Little Red Riding Hood
People rush around today and often don’t take the time to see what is around them; they go from here to there and barely notice what is in between. That is why I enjoy photography as it forces me to slow down, look and see what is around me, and appreciate the journey of going from one point to another. I enjoy finding the usual, and the unusual and creating art that isn't necessarily a reflection of what is, but what could be.
People rush around today and often don’t take the time to see what is around them; they go from here to there and barely notice what is in between. That is why I enjoy photography as it forces me to slow down, look and see what is around me, and appreciate the journey of going from one point to another. I enjoy finding the usual, and the unusual and creating art that isn't necessarily a reflection of what is, but what could be.
Dan Baumbach
Cathedral
I'm a photographer. I produce works that are not so much a document, as an emotional feeling about my subject matter. My muse is nature. I photograph landscapes, the sky, creeks, trees, lakes, mountains. Sometimes the subject mater is clearly recognizable and sometimes it is fairly abstract.
I'm a photographer. I produce works that are not so much a document, as an emotional feeling about my subject matter. My muse is nature. I photograph landscapes, the sky, creeks, trees, lakes, mountains. Sometimes the subject mater is clearly recognizable and sometimes it is fairly abstract.
It was a great pleasure to peruse all the wonderful entries in the “Abstract Photography” category. I believe it would be beneficial to explain why certain images were selected over others, and I hope this will provide insight for those who were not selected this time.
I reviewed the images in the order they were submitted, selecting those that I found thought-provoking, beautiful, and well-composed—both in terms of shooting and post-production. Ultimately, the strongest images were part of a cohesive body of work rather than just lucky shots. From my favorite photographers, I typically selected two pieces.
I also referred to the artist statements to assess the photographers' seriousness and clarity regarding their approach to the subject matter. I aimed to choose images that were distinctly photographic, captured from reality yet interpreted abstractly. I do not respond favorably to images that are heavily manipulated using Photoshop or AI tools, though I did include some photomontages.
What I enjoyed most about reviewing these hundreds of entries was witnessing the unique approaches of each photographer and the diverse subjects that capture their photographic attention. Bravo to all of you who submitted.
I hope you enjoy my selection.
Janice Mehlman
Photographer and Professor Emeritus, City University of NY
FIRST PLACE
SECOND PLACE
THIRD PLACE
HONORABLE MENTION
HONORABLE MENTION
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