From December 9 through February 11, 2017 Coos Art Museum will be hosting Low Tide Landscapes a juried exhibit of images by members of the Willamette Valley PhotoArts Guild, based in Corvallis, Oregon. The exhibition opens with a free reception for the public at the Museum on Friday, December 9, 2016 from 5pm until 7pm. Juror Julia Bradshaw, associate professor of art at Oregon State University, selected photographs by 15 members of the group to make up the exhibit, which explores the unusual and often alien terrain that is exposed along the Oregon Coast during low tides, particularly during extreme minus tides that occur in the spring and summer. Each of the photographers in the show has his or her own photographic style and work in a wide range of photographic media, including pinhole, iPhone, infrared, aerial and platinum, as well as straight and manipulated digital photography. “Like most photographers, we’re always looking for new things to see in the world around us and new ways to see them,” said exhibit organizer Rich Bergeman. “One place that never disappoints in that regard is the coast at very low tides. When the sea recedes far enough it unfolds a new terrain to explore, a magical combination of seascape and landscape. It’s a photographer’s dreamland.” Formed in 1985, The PhotoArts Guild is one of the oldest continuing fine art photography groups in the state. In 1988 the group became an affiliated guild with the Corvallis Art Center and currently has a membership of about 50. The guild’s purpose is to promote and support the appreciation of fine art photography within the community, and to provide members with an educational and social environment in which to learn from each other.
