New Photography Exhibition at Fernbank Museum Reveals the Natural Artistry of Seascapes

Fernbank Museum of Natural History presents the gallery exhibition Seascapes: Photography of Sandra Gottlieb from February 5-August 14, 2011. With a keen eye for the fleeting phenomena of clouds and light, Gottlieb captures the skies and waters of the Atlantic Ocean in this exhibition with beautiful large-scale images that range from the abstract, to the painterly, to the highly dramatic.

Seascapes is a series of 40 large-scale color photographs that concentrate on the sky and water. The images were taken primarily from a single vantage point overlooking the Atlantic Ocean in Rockaway Beach, Queens, NY. Some of the later pictures in the series were shot on the southeast coast of Florida.

Most of the photographs were taken during sunrise and sunset, but the photographer also includes a few from the midday hours. Each day’s photography brought a different view of the sea – peaceful and calm, tumultuous and angry, and often a combination of both – depending on time of day, time of year, and the weather. Each day’s work produced just one image, whether it took a single shot or a number of rolls to capture. Gottlieb’s process included focused awareness of the delicate changes in the light and the clouds. A former dancer, the photographer regards her dancing experience as the source of her appreciation of movement in nature.

These photographs began with strongly abstract images, and transitioned later into more representational. However, all the images share a minimalist aesthetic, using natural objects such as the sun, rainbows, and clouds in a strongly geometric structure to explore the remarkable ever-changing beauty of the sea and sky at each fleeting moment. This work invites viewers to connect to their own memories of the edge of the sea.

Seascapes: Photography of Sandra Gottlieb is included with Museum Admission, which is $15 for adults, $14 for students/seniors, $13 for children ages 3 to 12, free for children 2 and younger, and free for Museum Members. To purchase tickets in advance, visit fernbankmuseum.org or call 404.929.6400.

Fernbank Museum of Natural History is located at 767 Clifton Road, NE in Atlanta. Other happenings at Fernbank include: The special exhibition Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids, on view February 19-August 14, 2011; the grand opening of the all-new children’s exhibition Fernbank NatureQuest in late March 2011; and blockbuster IMAX® films, including Animalopolis (showing through March 17, 2011), Journey into Amazing Caves (showing through March 17, 2011) and Greece: Secrets of the Past (currently showing Friday nights but will show daily beginning March 18, 2011). For more information, visit fernbankmuseum.org