For Immediate Release
July 20, 2016
Stefanik’s Obsessed by the Light, Photography, August 29 – October 22 at Lyceum Gallery
Obsessed by the Light, photographs by John Stefanik, will be exhibited from August 29 through October 22 at Suffolk County Community College’s Eastern Campus’ Lyceum Gallery in Riverhead.Sag Harbor’s John Stefanik creates exquisite black and white photographs that capture mood, motion, and a luminous atmosphere reminiscent of the Romantic style of the Hudson River School painters. Exhibited will be works that highlight Stefanik’s 30 year career studying light as it dances on eastern Long Island’s bays, waterways, estuaries and Atlantic Ocean. Stefanik also photographs light as it filters through trees in mysterious woods and, most recently, abandoned farm houses on the North Fork.
“Each new site presents its challenges and demands as there is no easy ‘snap shot’ taken. As in my photograph, Ancient Forest, the brilliant back lighting was hard to control and meter in that late summer evening, which became part of my series, Light Between the Trees,” said Stefanik.
While sharing his meticulous photographic process with students and faculty at Suffolk County Community College, Stefanik noted that he achieves the great clarity, tonal scale, and lighting in his work by traditional methods. Stefanik uses a hand held light meter, a traditional 2 ¼” x 2 ¼” camera, a tripod and cable release that provide him with a ‘larger palette’ not found in digital photography. As a result, Stefanik creates flawless negatives that require little to no alterations in development.
John Stefanik received his master of fine arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1973 and has been teaching at Suffolk County Community College for over 25 years. Stefanik’s photographs have been exhibited broadly throughout Long Island, including the Nassau County Museum of Fine Arts in Roslyn (1988), The Long Island Museum in Stony Brook (2013), and The Islip Art Museum (1988). Mr. Stefanik is a recipient of the Robert Raushenberg Fund for Young Artist (1988).
An artist’s reception will be held on Thursday, September 15 from 4 - 6 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
Gallery hours are Monday -Thursday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. The gallery is closed on Sundays and holidays, (Exceptions: closed evenings after 4 p.m. on 8/29 – 9/2. Closed on 9/3, 10/3, 10/12), Please call 631-548-2536 for more information about hours of operation.
Directions to the Eastern Campus: Take the Long Island Expressway to exit 70. Take County Road (CR) 111 four miles to County Road 51. Turn left toward Riverhead and go north on CR 51. After 3.5 miles, turn right onto Speonk-Riverhead Road to the campus entrance on the right.
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