Manley Art Center announces the opening reception for the May Art Exhibit, held Saturday, May 14th, 2022 from 3 to 5 PM at Manley Art Center, located at 433 Oak Street in Brookings, Oregon.
The exhibit, on display May 2nd through June 4th, features artist Garrett J. Smith’s photography and glass pieces. Garrett’s involvement with photography started in the Cascade Mountains near Glide, Oregon in the 1960’s. With a brownie camera around his neck and an oversized backpack, he’d set out on his monthly Boy Scout camping trips. The medium of photography grabbed him then and didn't let go through all the various iterations of capturing an image.
Just over 20 years ago, he stumbled upon a technology that hadn’t been ‘new’ for about 5000 years. In fact, until the 60’s it was a ‘dying art’ – glassblowing. He began his journey with glass in the forest of Bainbridge Island, Washington in 2001. By 2006, he was apprenticing with Saul Alcaraz at Santa Barbara Art Glass nearly every free moment of his weekends.
Over the years of working with these digital and analog technologies, Garrett became fascinated with the contrasts in technology. Garrett states, “It has influenced how I see the world and it manifests itself in my fascination with waves. A digital camera can ‘freeze’ a moment in the short life of a wave and with some practice, luck and a 5 foot metal pole, I can attempt to ‘freeze’ the movement of flowing glass”.
