Month: <span>January 2024</span>

Every year ViewPoint Gallery welcomes new exhibiting members with a “NewPoints” exhibition that showcases their work. I am pleased to be part of this exhibition along with Craig Benjamin and Heather Rose. It runs from January 4th – 28th with an artist talk on January 14th. The gallery is located at 1475 Bedford Highway, Unit 109, Bedford, Nova Scotia.

My portion of the show, titled Found Fields, features ten photos from my recently released photo book, available at Blurb Books. Below are the  exhibit photos with their captions.

Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver
This offers a bleak view of the present day—but with a hope that we can end our dependence on fossil fuels.

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Amherst, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver
A hope that renewable energy can lead us to a more sustainable world. This scene is reminiscent of Alex Colville’s 1954 painting Horse and Train; I think it’s the same location.

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And the forests will echo with laughter, Nova Scotia, 2011 – © Avard Woolaver
A nod to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” These kids were playing among the trees on Canada Day in Hantsport, NS, before the fireworks display.

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Tokyo, Japan, 2020 – © Avard Woolaver
The sheer density of buildings and people in Tokyo can be overwhelming, but there is no shortage of interesting things to look at.

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Hantsport, Nova Scotia, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver
This was the finale of a fireworks display. It was a joyous event that looks apocalyptic if you don’t know the context.

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Brooklyn, Nova Scotia, 2013 – © Avard Woolaver
Off to the right was a road called “Muddy Marsh Road.” It was closed over fifty years ago, and there is little evidence it ever existed. I have memories of driving on this road with my father in a pickup truck when I was about five years old. This image is nostalgic for me and gets at the the beauty and mystery of life.

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Scotch Village, Nova Scotia, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver
If we take the time to observe the world around us, there are interesting photos everywhere.

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Montreal, Quebec, 2023 – © Avard Woolaver
A reminder that art can be timeless. Leonard Cohen’s music and poetry will continue to touch people’s hearts as society evolves and changes.

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Wolfville, Nova Scotia, 2010 – © Avard Woolaver
I think of this photo as “Cross-walker.” It reminds me of Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line,” a song of fidelity and sobriety.

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Windsor Forks, Nova Scotia, 2015 – © Avard Woolaver
Religion still plays a big role in the lives of many people, especially in small rural communities where elderly people sometimes outnumber younger folks.

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NewPoints Exhibition, 2024

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NewPoints Opening, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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NewPoints Opening, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

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NewPoints Poster, 2024 – © Avard Woolaver

Photography