OTTAWA—Ephemera, an exhibit comprising more than 20 nature photographs currently showing at Ottawa’s Atrium Gallery in Ben Franklin Place, is Karen Flanagan McCarthy’s first solo photography exhibit.
A Communications consultant and former CBC broadcaster, Flanagan McCarthy also held two joint exhibitions with her friend Simon Carter last year.
Ephemera spans four seasons, five years, and two continents; the Canadian photos were taken in Quebec and Ontario, while the European photos were taken in southwest England.
The most enchanting piece greets you at the entranceway. “Hobbit’s Portal” was taken in Devon, England. This photograph invites the viewer to scamper along a thickly wooded forest path beneath trees that are interlaced overhead toward bright green foliage illuminated with light.
The pieces displayed are a good combination of distant- and medium-range scenes and close ups, or macro-photography. While many of the photographs are muted brown and greys, there are some exceptions.
“The Initiate” is a magnified grasshopper in vivid green, “Another Man’s Flower” is a bright blue and red wildflower, and “Buddha’s Silent Sermon” is a nascent bud with delightful shades of pink.
These are reflective pieces with little motion evident except the suggested movement in “Between Ice and Fire,” which depicts icicles suspended above a fast-moving current. While the most dramatic piece is “Anansi’s Necklace,” a delicate spider web delineated by water droplets, “Requiem,” a shot of longitudinal rock formations on the English coastline, evokes a profound sense of timelessness.
According to the photographer, the exhibit captures the ephemera of the natural world.
“A breath is taken. The shutter is released. The moment itself is gone. Perhaps by capturing these images and committing them to paper, it will all last a bit longer,” says Flanagan McCarthy in her artist’s statement.
Other photographs produce different responses. “Melanie’s Mourning” presents a misty distant lakeshore illuminated by birch trees that can be seen as symbols of hope within a dark situation. “Resilience” shows a sapling that thrives, against all odds, on an abandoned railway bridge.
Of particular note are Flanagan McCarthy’s depictions of frost and ice. My favourite is “Feathered Dragons,” an image that inspires feathery flights of imagination, which was captured on the windowpane of the photographer’s home in Aylmer, Quebec.
The image “Dentelle Métallique” (“Metallic Lace”) appears to be delicate ferns covered with frost and frozen into curlicue shapes, but is in fact another frozen windowpane portrait. Outdoor ice formations are also featured. “Morceaux d’hiver” resembles microscopy, while “Ice Etching” has an interesting abstract appearance.
Ephemera continues until September 30. You can view selected pieces from the exhibit on Flanagan McCarthy’s website at http://www.kfmphotography.com.
Joyce MacPhee is an Ottawa writer and editor.
