Maine Photography Show

The Maine Photography Show

(Presented by Boothbay Region Art Foundation)

MPS has been the annual premier juried gallery show of photography in Maine
in the 16^th year now.

Bruce Brown was the juror for this season's show.
Bruce is well known as a photographer, collector, and curator
for many art and photography exhibitions in Maine.

For the 2021 Show we solicited photos in the categories
Black and White, Color, Student, and Special Category (Community Celebrations).

The Special Category Community Celebrations
is an exciting but also very challenging subject,
considering the life changing period we are in right now.

110 selected photographs were exhibited at the BRAF gallery,
and as in previous years are now available online at this website.
The Exhibition Catalog can be ordered now and the prize winners have been announced!
(Go to Winners 2021 for more details.)

Thanks to the generous contributions from our Sponsors
we were able to award prize winners of the 2021 Show for all categories
and a Best of Show with cash prizes similar to previous years.

Winners of MPS 2021

Info

White Bowl - by Emily Whiting

Best of Show

Note from Bruce Brown: WHITE BOWL is an unusually sophisticated image composed of the most basic tools available to artists - lines and color. The table is defined by two single straight lines which meet at an angle, while one continuous circular line defines the bowl placed on the table's edge. Having the table positioned off-center offers an energetic composition, more than a centered table. As a result, the soft brown background presents a wonderful variety of elegant geometric shapes including both straight and circular lines to engage our interest. Kudos to the photographer for a timeless image!
Surf's Up - by Elise Klysa

First Place (Community Celebrations)

Note from Bruce Brown: The magic of photography can happen when the photographer captures an image at precisely the right second. Surf's Up is an example. Four surfers are standing equally separated from one another on the left, while two are on the right. The time of day emphasizes the elongated shadows for both groups that ultimately join together at a linear vanishing point in the water - the surfers' destination. The longer shadow involves the two inside surfers on the left while the shadow is just the opposite to the right. Perfect balance among all elements of this photograph makes it very special.
Attean Pow Wow Dancer - by Paula Anastasio

Second Place (Community Celebrations)

Note from Bruce Brown: Native Americans from Maine, New England and around the country come together annually to share all aspects of their culture for two days at Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. This beautiful dancer is dressed in an elegant, colorful costume with a stunning headdress that explodes with color and design, the nature of the culture itself.
Remembering George Floyd - by John Kaminski

Third Place (Community Celebrations)

Note from Bruce Brown: REMEMBERING GEORGE FLOYD is a powerful visual reminder, given the size of the crowd lying in the center of downtown Portland, about the tensions that are often present between racial minorities and governmental forces such as police officers in today's society. Portland, Maine's most liberal city with an influx of 7,000 people of color in recent years, staged a massive rally opposing George Floyd's suffocation by four police officers in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020.
Portland Celebrates-The Youth Vote - by Mary Powers

Honorable Mention (Community Celebrations)

Note from Bruce Brown: This photograph, taken during a hastily organized parade along Congress Street following Joe Biden's presidential victory, documents the joy of the parade participants. This image may even be stronger than if the two boys were facing us directly. Their upraised arms convey their very special excitement and joy. The photograph is also important as an example of society's expanding social and political programs to include young people of all ages. Onward and upward!
Curtain Call - by Tim Byrne

Honorable Mention (Community Celebrations)

Note from Bruce Brown: CURTAIN CALL speaks to one of the saddest issues of the past year as we experience the ongoing effects of the coronavirus: the cancellation of nearly all of Maine's rich and ever-present cultural events. The photograph taken from center stage replaces what might have been a scheduled symphony concert, a traveling Broadway or local theatrical or dance performance, a jazz or pop concert or possibly even a school graduation. There will be no curtain call in this beautiful auditorium for at least the immediate future.
A Pandemic Photographer Emerges - by Norma Warden

First Place (Black and White)

Note from Bruce Brown: This photograph of three young girls cooped up in a small bedroom is very likely the busiest image among all submissions and serves as the perfect metaphor about how lives across the world have changed so dramatically in the past year. Works of various projects hanging on the walls suggest that the youngsters have a wide variety of interests. The chaos of bedding, clothing and other objects strewn throughout the room seem as stand ins for America's social, political, economic and health issues everyone is forced to cope with today as we scramble to find new projects to enrich our lives. I encourage the young photographer here to study photography and submit images for next year's Student category in the 2022 Maine Photography Show.
The Ice Harvest - A Maine Tradition - by Dave Dostie

Second Place (Black and White)

Note from Bruce Brown: The geometric shapes and bright ice echo the icehouse entry, walls and sunlight, and the five harvesters almost create a circle as they work. This documentary photograph pays tribute to an important Maine industry reaching back to 1810. During its heyday in the 1880s and 1890s, as many as 25,000 workers in 60 ice houses along the Kennebec River alone provided 1.3 million tons of ice each year to ship worldwide, making the ice trade more profitable than California's annual gold production. We are reminded of the critical importance of ice today as it protects vaccines essential in lessening the devastation caused by COVID -19.
Wishbone - by Kit Remsen Aroneau

Third Place (Black and White)

Note from Bruce Brown: WISHBONE combines an interesting combination representing both life and death. The presence of a dead tree lying in the quiet water on a foggy day offers a very subdued presence. But the log's attached branches, standing erect both above the water and echoed in the water below, suggest a sense of life. A perfect frame for the enclosed log is the horizontal tree, reaching upward toward the sky and reflected in the water. The quiet shadows of trees along the shore in the upper right are offset by an equally quiet but life affirming hint of sunlight below. Both the composition and title of the photograph are imaginatively sophisticated.
Fountain of Youth - by Michael Fillyaw

Honorable Mention (Black and White)

Note from Bruce Brown: FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH is very likely the most fun and lighthearted photograph included in this year's exhibition as presumably a woman and child are enjoying getting soaked by water shooting from a fountain in a park on a hot summer's day. The photograph was taken at precisely the right moment as the woman and child run through the fountain. Their body positions mimic one another exactly, and the woman's long hair hangs down as if it were part of the water itself. It is touching to note that the woman and child are holding hands as they play.
Love and Comfort - by Christopher Grayson

Honorable Mention (Black and White)

Note from Bruce Brown: I commend the photographer for sharing with us a deeply touching photograph of an elderly gentleman presumably approaching the end of his life as his son holds his father's hand. Many of us have shared similar moments and bring to bear our own personal experiences regarding life and death issues in response to this photograph.
Brushes - by Roger Marchand

First Place (Color)

Note from Bruce Brown: BRUSHES may well be the most dynamic, energetic and colorful photograph in this year's exhibition. It is interesting to note that the photographer has turned to the medium of painting to create this year's prize winning color photograph. The brushes standing erect around an orange square seem to serve as pilings for a potential building below while multiple geometric forms and a variety of colors appear to fly, sail or float at various heights across the busy surface. The result is a cacophony of various shapes, sizes and colors that wrestle with one another endlessly. Bravo!
The Guardian - by Richard Reynolds

Second Place (Color)

Note from Bruce Brown: THE GUARDIAN is just the right title as the owl's yellow eyes look intensely at the viewer as if to say 'Beware'. What I find especially interesting is that the owl and tree branches are suspended in space against a completely white background. Consequently, one result is that the image has more of a presence of a drawing or print rather than a photograph. The composition of the branches surrounding the owl are perfectly placed to give the owl sufficient space to be comfortably seated. Congratulations!
After the Rain - by Page Williamson

Third Place (Color)

Note from Bruce Brown: I am attracted to this photograph both for its dark, rain drenched street, reflecting dark browns and blacks, contrasted by the bold red lights from the distant vanishing point to the red table and chairs in the foreground. The red colors tie the image together. Of equal interest are the various rhythms created by the glow of the street lights along the street. Nighttime and the weather create a magical spell in this photograph.
Fall Mt. Katahdin - by Phil Gray

Honorable Mention (Color)

Note from Bruce Brown: Who among us fails to appreciate the glorious foliage season in Maine? And what more glorious spot to take in the beautiful autumn colors is there than Mt. Katahdin? The photograph unfolds in horizontal layers with the distant gray mountain helping to accent the autumnal red, orange and brown colors appearing on the lake shore. Each layer is repeated again in the reflections of the quiet water. Years ago I climbed Mt. Katahdin on a weekend in mid-October and recall its spectacular colors to this very day.
Last Gasp - by Linda Alschuler

Honorable Mention (Color)

Note from Bruce Brown: LAST GASP intrigues me; however, I admit that I have little notion of what the image is about. The title may suggest something has died and has been covered over possibly by snow and/or ice? The subtle presence of two green objects adds a bit of warmth to the photograph. The various linear and circular shapes and delicate gray lines appeal to my sense of touch. I am content to enjoy this photograph even though the subject may remain a mystery.
As Above, So Below - by Owen Gallo-Wagoner

First Place (Student)

Note from Bruce Brown: This is a remarkably beautiful image. The yellows and browns of fall magically calls to our attention the sharply focused petals with a less focused reflection below. The water divides the plant and its reflection at exactly the right horizontal line, and the image is further enhanced by the mid-ground texture which serves to create depth and variation. Then the background fades away. The dark palette of browns and grays with a hint of red suggest the passing of life which would have been far less effective had the photograph been taken on a sunny day. Congratulations for creating an image that speaks to issues far beyond what we see here.
Red Fans - by Ella Fenderson

Second Place (Student)

Note from Bruce Brown: RED FANS is a photograph of pure joy that lifts the human spirit thanks to its colorful palette, close presence of the leaves and flowers and high energy which seem to be chaotic at first glance. However, the photograph is organized in an interesting way. Three pink leaves form an almost straight line from the top down the page while three other leaves form another straight line at an angle. Combined, the two lines form a tilted letter 'x' while the red fans are arranged in an 's' shape. More subdued grays in the background enhance the pinks and reds. The photograph is alive and fun.
Old Orchard Beach Nights - by Jacob Smith

Third Place (Student)

Note from Bruce Brown: OLD ORCHARD BEACH NIGHTS is divided into two equal parts. The Ferris wheel on top has the presence of an enormous clock while its reflection in the water below speaks to its role as a fun ride in motion which for me personally recalls the turmoil in my stomach that occurred during every ride I enjoyed many years ago. The night image, with its enticing lights, make the Ferris wheel more inviting than If the photograph had been taken during the day. Seeing this image makes me almost ready to cross the water and climb aboard the Ferris wheel one last time.
After the Rain - by Adam Laflamme

Honorable Mention (Student)

Note from Bruce Brown: The up close presence of the raindrops brings this photograph to life, and the moisture seems to enrich the glorious green color of the leaf. The yellow branch, visible behind the green leaves, is open to interpretation. Might it be that the yellow suggests sunlight which is as necessary as water for plant life?
Just Hatched - by Karen Higgins

Honorable Mention (Student)

Note from Bruce Brown: A newborn bird chirping atop two blue eggs in an intimate nest hidden by green branches suggests that it could be the first in a series of photographs accompanying a lively, imaginative storybook for very young children.
Two Willets at Sunset - by Dave Kirkwood

Committee Choice Award