Touchstone Presents Marcia Coppel and Harvey Kupferberg

Two new shows open this Friday (May 6) at Touchstone Gallery with a reception from 6 to 8:30. One show is called "Life Is Too Serious," comprised of paintings and drawings by by Marcia Coppel, and the other show is called "Infrared - The Invisible Light," comprised of photographic images by Harvey Kupferberg. Both shows run through May 29, 2011.

From the Marcia Coppel press release:

It would be hard to imagine what Marcia Coppel’s paintings would look like if she had never been to Mexico. They would surely be interesting. Her characteristic laid back, whimsical drawings might be the same and her interest in ordinary people relaxing at lunch or at the beach might even be similar. But her colors - no, no! The colors come from Mexico.

And she is a true colorist. The figures she draws are rudimentary and the drawing merely gives her a framework to play with the colors she loves. She paints mostly tête-à-tête but sometimes there are three folk sitting at an umbrella covered table in an outdoor patio or on the beach.

Image credit: I Need Your Help With This”, Acrylic on canvas by Marcia Coppel

From the Harvey Kupferberg press release:

Infrared photography is one of many different ways of capturing light. Light comes in two forms, visible and invisible. An example of visible light is the rainbow. Its color palette starts with violet changing to blue, yellow, orange and finally red. The invisible light cannot be seen with the human eye. Examples of invisible light below the visible blue wavelength are the X-ray and ultraviolet light. The invisible infrared spectrum lies just beyond the visible red at the other end of the visible spectrum.

Film photographers capture the infrared spectrum with an infrared sensitive film and an opaque filter to block visible light. The modern digital camera can be modified for infrared photography. An infrared filter is placed in front the camera’s sensor to prevent visible light to pass while allowing infrared light to pass through to the digital sensor.

Infrared photography is influenced by environmental conditions. Seasonal changes, atmospheric conditions, time of day and the position of the sun all play an important part in producing the tonal range of an infrared print.

This exhibition of black and white prints at Touchstone Gallery demonstrates the variety of different tonal qualities produced on clear
and hazy days. Some images are different from what viewers normally expect while other cannot be differentiated from visible light photographs.

Image Credit: “Trees at Lock 24”, Giclee print by Harvey Kupferberg

Touchstone Gallery
901 New York Avenue, NW
202.347.2787