The Maine Arts Commission is showing the work of Maine photographer Lynn Karlin as part of its Art in the Capitol program in Augusta. The selection of 19 images from Karlin’s “The Pedestal Series” will be on display as a free exhibit, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, in the Maine State Capitol complex, through Dec. 31, according to a news release from the commission.

“The Pedestal Series” illuminates food in still-life compositions that at times expand past the pictorial frame. Karlin’s food assemblies use design elements as the artist considers and chooses form, texture, patina and color. She uses only natural light for her photographs, giving her work a more painterly than photographic aesthetic, inspired by works of 17th century Dutch master painters, according to the release.

Windfall Apples with Mushroom included in the current Art in the Capitol exhibit by the Maine Arts Commission, a free exhibit now on view at the Maine State Capitol complex in Augusta through Dec. 31. Image by artist Lynn Karlin

Draped Squash Blossoms included in the current Art in the Capitol exhibit by the Maine Arts Commission, a free exhibit now on view at the Maine State Capitol complex in Augusta through Dec. 31. Image by artist Lynn Karlin

“Food. We taste (rather we eat), we touch (maybe not enough). But how often do we slow down to take in the aroma and the beauty of the often-overlooked vegetables, fruit and edible plants that nourish us?” Karlin asks in her artist statement for the show, according to the release. “Do we notice the myriad varieties and subtle shades of pole beans, the fractal patterns of a Romanesco cauliflower, the delicate fingerlike form of young carrots, the gracefulness of squash blossoms and their tendrils, or the seductive profile of a pear cut in half?”

Karlin’s move to a Maine farm in 1983, after 13 years in New York City, gave the artist a new appreciation for fresh food and what it offers each season. She chose the subject matter of this exhibit, “To honor even the humblest vegetables by elevating them to a place where they belong: on a pedestal.”

Karlin lives in Belfast and specializes in photographing gardens, interiors and food for nationally recognized magazines such as Better Homes & Gardens and This Old House, according to the release.

The works in this Art in the Capitol show is a self-guided exhibition located on both the ground floor and second floor of the State House and are available to purchase.

The Art in the Capitol program is administered by the Maine Arts Commission and is designed to expand accessibility for Maine artists working in state on Maine-based themes.

For more information, visit MaineArts.com/artinthecapitol or contact Julie Horn, visual arts director, at julie.horn@maine.gov.

« Previous

Next »

Related Stories