Claremore photographer's exhibit featured at State Capitol

Tuesday, 18 August 2009
OKLAHOMA CITY--Much of the subject matter of Don Emrick's photography in his exhibit at the State Capitol originated from splatters of paint which have built up over the years on tables and easels in the Art Department at Rogers State University where he is a photography instructor.

The exhibit, Found in Abstraction, will be on display on the first floor of the State Capitol in the North Gallery through October 18th.

Curated by the Oklahoma Arts Council, the North Gallery is devoted to Oklahoma's finest photographers and is open daily from 8:30-5:00. "I started this body of work because I was compelled by the small particles of paint and the randomness of the splatters of color.

I'm motivated to explore the beauty and abstraction of the found image rather than imitate of duplicate it," Emrick said.

He explained that photographers such as Siskind, Callahan, and Gursky inspired his work and artists including Klee and Kandinsky opened his mind and eyes to the possibilities revealed by the camera.

Emrick was born in Crookston, Minnesota, and his family settled in Oklahoma in 1971.

After graduating from Bixby High School, he attended the University of Oklahoma where he earned a B.A. and an M.A in Journalism & Mass Communications while he also studied fine art photography at OU's School of Art.

Emrick ha s worked for the Tulsa World and the Tulsa Tribune newspapers. He currently teaches both film and digital photography at Tulsa Community College in addition to Rogers State University in Claremore.

Emrick's photography has been featured in numerous solo exhibits, and he has participated in various group shows, including one in Sheffield, England in 2008.

He is an active member of Oklahoma's art community as the Vice President of the Tulsa Artists' Coalition and a member of the Editorial Committee for Art Focus magazine, a publication of the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition.

For more information, contact Ann Dee Lee, Public Information Director, Oklahoma Arts Council, (405) 521-2931 or anndee@arts.ok anndee@arts.ok>.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 18 August 2009 )