Women behind the lens
highlighting the work of Females in the Fine Arts
Exhibition
In honor of Women’s History Month this March, Blazing Editions and YJ Contemporary celebrate incredible female photographers' photographic work and achievements. This collection brings together women from all over the country with uniquely different photographic styles and genres. They are offering our viewers an exciting exhibition made up of powerful images, both tranquil and exciting, as they are beautiful and challenging. They also show a glimpse of the women behind the lens.
We invite you to explore more about the individual female photographers who’ve contributed to this event and enjoy how they each capture the world's beautification around us.
Featuring
Irene Mamiye • Dagmara Weinberg • Allyson Monson • Debranne Cingari • Bev Pettit • Kirsten Griffin
Walk Thru
Interactive
Allyson Monson
Biography
Photography is a world of light and color; and when you add texture, it is a world Allyson has has loved since childhood.
Growing up in the suburbs of New York brought the city to her fingertips. People, lights, sound and movement always fascinated Allyson. The pace and energy of worldwide metropolitan cities remain one of her favorite subjects. And, her work further reflects the water and nature that were part of youthful summer memories of time spent on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. You might say her work has been evolving forever.
She attended the University of Rhode Island majoring in Textiles, Merchandising, and Design. This program offered her the opportunity to study Interior Design at The Studio Arts Center International in Florence, Italy through the Cleveland Institute of Art. In Florence she was assigned the task of taking an ordinary object and recreating it as an unpredictable object. There was so much design surrounding her in Italy and suddenly she saw the textures of Pirelli tires as a coffee percolator. From that moment Allyson began viewing everyday objects from a different perspective.
Now she see the world around me beyond the naked eye. Her work varies. Some images are clean and crisp and yet create depth with the ordinary layers of life. Other images often are quite complex, leaving the guesswork up to the observer. There is an underlying consistency throughout Allyson’s work that evokes light, texture, color and movement, connecting the past with the present.
Expressing herself through photography, she has been given the opportunity to combine her passions for the arts, design and travel.
Allyson works with interior designers and art consultants from all over the United Sates. Her work can be found in local home furnishing stores in NY, CT, NJ and FL. She also exhibits at the Architectural Digest Design Show IN NYC.
“From a young age I was acutely aware of how important women were. As an only child of divorced parents my Mother was my everything. She was a single working mother. I saw her climb the corporate ladder and she was a perfect example of what a woman can do and become. Her actions, love and determination always encouraged, supported and motivated me to the be the best version of myself.
My studies led me to the interior design profession. With the design’s industry’s heavy concentration of women influencing me, this path allowed me to continue to be inspired and supported by more amazing women. And now as an artist, I find myself surrounded by yet another group of women in both the arts and design industry, each with their own wonderful story to tell.
As my photography business grew, I realized it was my turn. I was doing exactly what my Mother had done for me for my own daughter. Being a part of this all-female show encompasses everything that I have learned throughout the years. Sitting side by side with other strong, creative, smart women teaches my daughter and all women to believe in themselves and push forward because their own possibilities are limitless.”
- Allyson Monson
Collection
Bev Pettit
Biography
Bev grew up with a love of animals, particularly the horse. After graduating from college with a degree in Fine Art she travelled extensively for work. Bev lived and worked in Hong Kong and Europe for many years as a designer for corporate investment banking and publishing. Photography became a hobby as she travelled the back roads of Asia and Europe during her spare time.
Upon returning to the United States she settled on a small ranch with her family in Northern Arizona where she lives today with her many horses, cats and dogs.
Over the years Bev has developed an art style that evokes emotion through her unique choice of subjects and her ability to connect with them. Bev’s yearning to capture the essence of wild horses in their natural state has taken her to some of the most remote locations in North America where she has spent days and nights on end “living” amongst the herds while camping in her 4 Runner. Bev says that she has learned more about the mentality of the horse by watching the civility of herd behavior at a watering hole in the vast prairies of Utah than she has in all the years of having her own horses. Finding the trust in these wild animals is a thrill not often realized by many.
Her multiple visits to Sable Island off the coast of Nova Scotia are dreams come true. The wild horses on Sable Island are uniquely different than any other breed in the world. They have thrived on this small island living wild and free, untouched by humans, for over 300 years. Sadly, America’s wild horses are facing tough times. Continued government roundups and herd removals from our public lands are happening at an alarming rate. Bev hopes to be able to bring humanity back by educating the public through her images about the strife of our wild horses that are still able to roam freely in the remote Western United States.
Each of her images is edited individually to illustrate her connection with her subject. Some works best as color images, others are toned in various hues to best reflect the feel of the image. Applying her own unique, artistic touch to every image allows it to live on its own.
She says she “knows” every horse she has ever photographed, as if they were her own. She reflects their personality and captures their essence in each horse through her photographs. Her vast experience with horses allows her to capture images that very few could do. Her landscape work reflects the vastness of the West. You will often find her roaming the backroads of Monument Valley, alone, searching for a unique viewpoint where she can capture the spirit and vastness of such magical places. Her love of the West and its diverse culture is evident through her unique vision and photographic style in her portraiture work. Through her images, she strives to bring the viewer along with her on her adventures and travels.
"The joy that I feel when I am with a horse is unsurpassed. Horses have a calming effect like none other. If you give a horse a chance and really try to understand them, they can be your best friend for life! " Bev Pettit
Collection
Debranne Cingari
Artist Statement
Having a strong and successful background in photography, I've stepped out of my comfort zone to explore exciting new media. While an element of photography is ever present in my work, I have brought new life to my images through assemblage.
Drawing inspiration from various muses, my creations are primarily ignited by curiosity, whether from an overheard conversation, a discarded object, an experience while traveling the world, or even a dream. A life-long collector, my love of objects has led me to introduce assemblage to my photography, a marriage that has sparked an intriguing new series of work. Combining images photographed throughout my travels with my collection of mysterious artifacts, I painstakingly create my assemblages by welding, drilling, screwing, gluing, and sewing to create magnificent compositions.
My pieces come to life as collections of locks, keys, tools, machine parts, records, book pages, bindings, and hundreds of other found objects take form as a city skyline against the dramatic backdrop of sky and sea. As you explore the composition you are drawn into a scene filled with surprises as it conjures visions of a city full of life, and each object invites you to wonder about its history.
Artist Statement
In the beginning of my fine art career, I was approached by major publishing companies to capture the beautiful and intimate relationships within the lesbian community. Here, I was able to highlight the sensual, loving and organic relationships of women, capturing the raw beauty of the female form. Photographing these women inspired me to explore my creative abilities and expand my photographic collections with self-portrait work, of which I’ve received numerous awards for. There is no greater honor in the world than to be a woman, and I am humbled to be recognized for my achievements alongside five incredible female photographers this Women’s History Month.
Collection
Dagmara Weinberg
Biography
Dagmara Weinberg is a native of Poland and graduated with honors from the Corcoran College of Art and Design with a BFA degree in Graphic Design in Washington, D.C. Her passion for photography developed after she discovered the work of several innovative New York photographers. Her current creative inspiration stems from her love of nature, which is the subject of her work. Dagmara captures images of her subjects utilizing raw photography, and through the graphic design process, she creates stunning images that are both captivating and intriguing to her audience. The subtle beauty and striking detail of her work draws the viewer into the piece itself examine every nuance and dimension until finally, they realize its origin - art in nature.
Artist Statement
My artistic inspiration stems from my love of nature and my experiences with our natural world. When I had a child, i felt a renewed responsibility to share my passion for nature with others and raise awareness for nature’s simple beauty. Something about having a child made me think a little more about the future of our earth and its impact on humanity. Through my art as well as beautiful oceans, sea life, and landscapes. My mission as an artist is to illuminate the beauty that surrounds us and to reinforce the urgency to preserve it.
Collection
Irene Mamiye
Biography
Irene Mamiye is a New York based artist whose work incorporates photography, video, and digital imaging techniques. With light, color and movement, Mamiye blurs the distinctions between physical and virtual reality. Influenced by her own personal history and artists as diverse as Laszlo Moholy Nagy and Gerhard Richter, Mamiye employs intricate and labor intensive processes to challenge what is expected of the photographic medium. Culling photographs from social media, Mamiye transforms the plenitude of public images into richly layered works that hint at a life lived between screens. With a playful yet mordant humor, Mamiye creates pieces packed with art historical depth and pop cultural abundance.
Mamiye’s extensive body of work, including digital images, videos, and furniture designs, has been widely exhibited across the United States and Internationally. Her work was included in the landmark exhibition The Edge of Vision (2009), mounted by the Aperture Foundation, and in the Museum of Art and Design’s Multiple Exposures: Jewelry and Photography (2014). Mamiye’s work has also been featured in the following publications: Architectural Digest, Interior Design Magazine, Vanity Fair, People Magazine, Elle Décor and InStyle.
Irene Mamiye was born in Marseille, France and immigrated to the U.S as an adolescent. She holds a BA in Photography and Global Studies from Gallatin New York University and an MFA in Lens Arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York.
Collection
Kirsten Griffin
Biography
Kirsten Griffin is a fine art photographer who enjoys documenting the beauty of the natural world. She enjoys traveling to remote and isolated locations to photograph Earth at its’ purest.
Although she is afraid of heights, some of her best work has been produced in helicopters. Her ICELAND ABSTRACT AERIALS series was produced during a 5 day trip across the country in an open helicopter with her best friend. Her AFRICAN ABSTRACT AERIALS series was captured from a helicopter with her family above Kenya & Tanzania.
Griffin is the winner of numerous international photography awards, including Silver in the nature category of the prestigious International Photography Awards, and Gold, Silver & Bronze in the nature categories of the illustrious Px3 (Prix de la Photographie Paris).
Griffin is a graduate of Duke University and worked in broadcast media before starting her career as a photographer. She lives in Oklahoma City with her three children and husband.
Collection
Women Behind The Show
A huge thank you to the women behind who were the production of this exhibition
Kelly Lyman
Frame • Package • CNC • Sublimation
Cassie Fraley
Admin • Art Sales • Delivery • Install • Media
Jackie Siler
Office Manager • Bookkeeper
Chelsea Barr
Color Correct • Frame • Package
Paulina Kobylar
Embellisher • Frame • Package • Sublimation
Lyndsey Varhol
Art Sales • Curation
Merry Varr
Art Sales • Curation