Martha Casanave
EXPLORATIONS ALONG AN URBAN COASTLINE
(PINHOLE WORK IN PROGRESS)

This series of photographs, begun in 2013, is tentatively titled “Explorations Along an Urban Coastline.” It is an outgrowth of my earlier collection called “Explorations Along an Imaginary Coastline,” published in book form in 2006 by Hudson Hills Press.

The central coast of California has been portrayed by innumerable painters and photographers, and has long been a world tourist destination. But the materialistic aspect of my home, the Monterey Peninsula, is rarely shown in images other than snapshots.

These photographs are made with a 4” x 5” box pinhole camera, with one and two-inch focal lengths. The 16 x 20 inch gelatin silver prints are hand-colored with oil pastels. The distorted wide-angle views, the odd placement of the camera (on the ground, for example), the slightly unreal colors, and the occasional presence of a mysterious, bearded figure all contribute to a distinctive, idiosyncratic view of one of the most photographed locations in the world.

Wave Machine, Monterey Bay Aquarium, 2013

Shark, Cannery Row, 2014

Fish Heads, Wharf #2, 2013

Zucchini's Tricks, 2014

Mackerel, Wharf #2, ?

Royal Seafoods, Wharf #2, 2013

Tentacles, Cannery Row, 2014

Giant Squid, Fisherman's Wharf, 2014

Specimens, Hopkins Marine Station, 2013

Doc's Lab, Cannery Row, ?

McAbee Beach, Cannery Row, ?

Monterey Plaza Hotel, Cannery Row, 2013

Guano, Fisherman's Wharf, 2013

Outdoor Restaurant, Cannery Row, 2013

Mickey, Cannery Row, 2014

Gum Balls, Cannery Row, ?

Prints are one-of-a-kind, hand colored with oil pastels on silver gelatin. Size: 16x20 inches

 

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