“Horse Patrol II,” by Cordelia Edwards (Courtesy photo)
“American Light,” a show of new and selected photographs by Cordelia Edwards, will open at Wiscasset Bay Gallery on Thursday, June 25.
The opening evening of the exhibition will coincide with the June Wiscasset Art Walk, an event when the village comes alive with musical performances, events at local businesses, and gallery openings from 4-7 p.m.
Years ago Edwards was introduced to the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank. Although Edwards is deeply moved by the beauty of the natural world, it is people who catch her eye when she is looking through the lens. She likes working in black and white for its directness and clarity, stripping away the familiar and mundane and heightening the moment. Her images of beachgoers follow a long tradition of street photography.
The photographs exhibited in “American Light” were taken over a span of 10 years at the same public beach on the west coast of Florida. Initially, Edwards was intrigued by the Amish and Mennonites in their traditional dress walking, shelling, and swimming in the Gulf, so she started bringing her camera.
One day, she witnessed the Naked Cowboy from Times Square making his way around the beach. Everybody wanted a picture with the Naked Cowboy, including the Amish. A mostly naked man with a guitar and cowboy hat posing with Amish grandmothers seemed like a moment that needed to be documented. Edwards started to look more closely amidst the dense, colorful swirl of activity and soon was showing up almost daily with her camera during the winter season.
The beach where Edwards goes is crowded with families, college students, couples, groups of friends, and visitors from all over the world. These beachgoers arrive eager to be near the ocean, soaking up bright, warm Florida sunshine. Children play, seagulls swoop, conversations overlap, swimmers splash, music plays.
Edwards is interested in the candid nature of the unselfconscious moment. Her photographs are not meant to be portraits of individuals but endeavor to reflect something universal in the human experience played out on a sandy stage with a cast of thousands.
“American Light” will be on display at the Wiscasset Bay Gallery, at 75 Main St. (Route 1) in the historic Wiscasset village, through Wednesday, July 29. For more information, call 882-7682 or go to wiscassetbaygallery.com.
“Lemon Tent,” by Cordelia Edwards (Courtesy photo)
