Art in the Capitol: Stunning Photographic Still Lifes by Lynn Karlin

Currently on display at the Maine State House until December 31, 2018

AUGUSTA, MAINE- The Maine Arts Commission is honored to show the work of award-winning 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, open to the public from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, in the Maine State Capitol Complex from September 1 – December 31, 2018.

“The Pedestal Series” illuminates food in still-life compositions that at times expand past the pictorial frame. Karlin’s food assemblies use striking design elements as the artist carefully 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.

“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. “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.”

Lynn 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. She is a graduate of Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY and has received many noted awards including Outstanding Achievement in Still Life and Best in Show at the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO.

The works in this Art in the Capitol show, which can be viewed as a free, self-guided exhibition, are 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. To learn more about the program visit: www.MaineArts.com/artinthecapitol or contact Julie Horn, Visual Arts Director at julie.horn@maine.gov

The Maine Arts Commission supports artists, art organizations, educators, policy makers, and community developers in advancing the arts in Maine. For more than 50 years the Commission has encouraged and stimulated public interest and participation in the cultural heritage and cultural programs of our state; has worked to expand the state's cultural resources; and encouraged and assisted freedom of artistic expression for the well-being of the arts, to meet the needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state. Additional information is available at mainearts.com.

 Photo Caption: 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 December 31, 2018. Image by artist Lynn Karlin.