These five images and short descriptions were entered into a juried competition at The Photographer's Eye Gallery in Escondido, CA. None of them made the exhibition, but I really enjoyed this process. Imagery places a visual on our thoughts and feelings that we otherwise couldn't express.
"Living and Photographing in the Time of Covid-19"
Online Juried Exhibition
May 8th - August 1st, 2020
The Photographer's Eye Gallery
gnome_cat_tree
Image #1: Gnome
Binocular Disparity
We found this amazing gnome during a yard clean-up project. I love old, neglected things and the texture that time gives them. This gnome and his little bluebird embody the disparity we are all experiencing right now. “Binocular disparity” refers to the difference in image location of an object seen by the left and right eyes. In normal times our brains focus reality pretty well. I feel like we are all a bit out of focus right now and not able to see the location of our daily lives… it’s all very surreal. He also has a solar panel on the back and the binoculars actually lit up, but the light is out now.
Image #2: Cat
Ben Undercover Of Sun
Our pets are providing hours of distraction and 24/7 unconditional love while we torture them with endless pictures and snuggles! I don’t know what I’d do without Ben’s constant purring and snappy 14-year old attitude. I chose this image of him because it symbolizes us undercover of a shadow looking out for sunshine. He is also my tolerant #meowdel for the new @purrbenhur Instagram I created for him, well really for me! I do marketing and social media for a living and am now out of work for the near future. Ben keeps my spirits up and my creative social art mediums inspired. I may even venture him into Tik-Tok!
Image #3: Tree
Cotton Ball Tree
The only way to get out of the house right now, without any personal protective equipment, is a quick drive around your neighborhood. I’m so grateful to live in an area that has beautiful landscapes of hilly vineyards, barns, livestock, flowers, and trees that bloom with cotton balls in the sky. The earth is very happy the humans are taking a break. As my Mom says,“Change always comes bearing gifts.” We don’t always know immediately what the gifts is… sometimes we have to stop moving and look for it.
Zimmer_On The Fence_4
Image #4: Quail On The Fence
This little guy was on a mission, getting to someplace very important. He didn’t seem to be “on the fence” about his goal, just using the wooden highway to facilitate his travel. I used to be on the fence a lot, never quite committing to a destination. I recently, just before Covid-19 (BC19), made a major life change and landed in a loving, happy, forever state of being. Sometimes I feel guilty about doing okay right now, in the midst of so much suffering. Helping where I can, keeping in touch with friends and neighbors, giving blood, and supporting local businesses makes a difference. Also, I believe that keeping true to my art and not denying my need to create it, serves the situation as a whole. What are we, if not what we create?
Zimmer_Dad's Chair_5
Image #5: Tom’s Chair
This is the view from my back patio. This beautiful landscape of trees and flowers and seemingly wildness was created by my neighbor Steve’s dad, Tom. Steve planted the chair in the midst of this loveliness when Tom was 80, so that he could rest while he gardened instead of returning to the house. Tom spent hours in this chair contemplating the trees he planted as seedlings decades before and lavender and poppies surrounding his tool shed. I’ll never know what it’s like to “be” in one place for a lifetime or even half a lifetime, but I love to hear stories of people who have. Tom’s ashes are buried here and now I’m his neighbor.
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Images © 2020, Katherine Zimmer, all rights reserved
