Bill Davis

Bill Davis

  • Photo Projects
    • No Dark in Sight
    • Palimpsests
    • Manifest Rites
    • Commissions
      • Commission For LaFONTSEE Gallery (Warner_Norcross_& Judd Law Firm- Kalamazoo)
    • Field Notes
      • Mobile Sketchbook
  • Recognition
    • Collections
    • Awards
  • Museum & Gallery Installations
  • Catalogs
  • About
    • CV
    • Artist Statements
    • Footnotes
      • Interviews
      • Selected Lectures
      • Selected Publications
      • Selected Exhibit Invites
      • Abbreviation Definitions
        • Artwork Shipping/Delivery Info
      • Links
      • Process, Studio, Shipping & Installation
      • Recognition
  • Visiting Artist Spotlight
  • VAS_Archive
  • Humanitarian Fundraising
    • Ukrainian Artwork
    • Resources to Support Vulnerable Artists and Populations
    • Borderline Exhibition 2022
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To submit your work to the Visiting Artist Spotlight: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScPb7eQp2VANBE0sg2l5fdHLH46ocbFr7_zL_I6wQfuV6Bm_w/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0. - - - 2024 Q3 Juror: Olivia Feldman (BFA) - (Juror's Bio: Olivia is a portrait photographer, artist, and digital marketer. Olivia graduated in December of 2021 from Western Michigan University with her Bachelors in Fine Art with an emphasis in photography. Her time at WMU (Go Broncos!) was filled with exploring the fine art side of photography and developing her senior these show, Unidentified. Olivia’s thesis show consisted of blurry, messy, and incomplete portraits that used the abstract and non literal to bring the viewer into a deeper part of the portraits. View her thesis project, Unidentified. After graduation she began in social media marketing as a content designer and social media specialist, all while running her LLC. 2024 Q3 - Juror's Statement - Schmaedeke’s photograph, UmdieEcke, is an evocative piece that masterfully captures the subtle balance between presence and absence. The angular composition immediately draws the viewer’s eye, guiding us around the curved street, only to leave us wondering what lies beyond. This deliberate choice to obscure the unseen creates an emotional pull that evokes a sense of mystery and isolation. What stands out most in Schmaedeke's work is the careful use of light and shadow. Multiple light sources strategically illuminate the scene, casting shadows that seem to stretch beyond the edges of the frame, further deepening the feeling of abandonment and solitude. While no figures are present in the image, the emptiness is welcome, and it is this absence that imbues the photo with an overwhelming sense of loneliness. The quiet tension between the lit spaces and the looming darkness makes the viewer feel as though they are on the cusp of discovery, yet kept at a distance. Schmaedeke’s manipulation of the scene’s geometry amplifies the emotional weight of the work, encouraging the viewer to linger, contemplate, and question. The photograph is an invotation for introspection, inviting us to consider what remains unseen. It’s this intentional ambiguity that makes UmdieEcke a powerful and haunting piece.


Artist Bio and Statement follow below. - - -

- Artist Bio: Heather Schmaedeke is an internationally exhibited artist who lives in Berlin, where she moved after participating in an artist residency. Her artwork has been exhibited in solo and group shows. In 2015, her photography series “A Long Day’s Journey” for the 24 Hour Fotomarathon Berlin, won second place in the 24-hour digital photography category. In 2022, she won the COOPH World Photography Day Competition. Additionally, her photography has been published in both print and a variety of digital formats. Heather approaches each new photograph with a fresh perspective; her goal is to transport the viewer to the places or events that she photographs. Her portfolio reflects the depth and diversity of her subjects and interests. A versatile photographer, she absorbs the environment and adapts her eye to each new situation.
- Artist Statement: "Each image is an invitation to experience the visual playground of the evening hours. It is a time and place when things are a little fuzzy around the edges, not so clearly defined. This ambiguity frees the mind to explore and welcomes the viewer into a dialogue. Each photo is a dynamic image that compels viewer participation. These fleeting moments are given a bit of permanence, while the environment has some of its permanence shaken loose. The world around us is not as permanent as it seems and we too, are not as ephemeral. ""I have always been a night person; there is something rich and malleable about it. It is a study in contrasts, the colors are so vibrant compared to the silky, seemingly bottomless shadows. The lights, reflections and shadows carve something mysterious and fluid out of the concrete and familiar. Taking photos at certain times of day or during inclement weather gives me the power to compose my images from the contrasts that I find so compelling, for example: movement and stillness, shadows and light, complimentary colors, primary colors, isolation and inclusion.” - Heather Schmaedeke
---------- Visiting Artist Spotlight. Q1_January 1 - March 31, 2025 - Coming Soon...