Pacific Perspectives
SAXONBURG — The 2014 exhibition season begins March 1 for the Saxonburg Area Artists Cooperative with “Pacific Perspectives,” an exhibit of photographs and an interactive multimedia work by Jim Jeffries.
A reception will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 1 at the SAAC gallery, 215 W. Main St., rear. Light refreshments will be served.
This first show of the season consists of a selection of 35 photographs from exotic locations throughout the North and South Pacific, including lush landscapes, serene seascapes and colorful still-life images.
Jeffries is a former librarian and video production instructor who taught in public and private schools in the Pittsburgh area. Before that, he taught in South America for a time.
He said he has been involved with video since the 1980s, “as long as there've been camcorders.”
So photography stills are a departure for him.
“This is the first time I've really worked with photographs,” he said. “I'm a filmmaker, so it's a little like going backward.
“It's a different experience that I can really relate to ... it takes you to one specific time while video tells a story.”
In harmony with the photographs, there will be a continuous interactive multimedia presentation of short nature films and slide shows of the artist's interpretations and impressions of Hawaii and the surrounding islands, as well as the northern Pacific Ocean.
“There's a Blu-ray DVD player and a screen that hangs up like a frame ... the emotions, the way you look at something, is affected by the sound and the narrator. It all deals basically with the power of nature.”
Jeffries has spent his career working with multimedia, blending script, image and sound. Before teaching, he earned a master of arts from Slippery Rock University and a master of library science from the University of Pittsburgh.The Bradford Woods native lives in O'Hara Township, Allegheny County, and devotes his time to extensive travel, filmmaking and photography.While Jeffries said he enjoys sharing the sights of his world travels, it is the quest for the image from nature that gives him the most pleasure. He is constantly seeking the right location, with the right light, in the right mood.“It's the image you're able to share with someone who can't see it through your own eyes, getting through the remoteness to get to something, taking the mule ride to the spot,” he said.In this exhibit, he focuses on sharing his perspective of the vast Pacific Ocean, revealing a place where the earth, sea and sky seem to come together.“This is a great way to end the winter doldrums and welcome the coming spring,” said Sam Andrew, the co-director of the gallery. “It is a very different kind of presentation than we ordinarily host. Jim's work is sure to warm your spirits and fire up the imagination.”The exhibit will run through March 29.Admission is free. For more information, call 412-260-5779.
