FLOWERING CREATIVITY: ARTIST SHARES HER TECHNIQUES

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Abigail Migala photography exhibition continues through February 25

 

February 22, 2011 (San Diego’s East County) – “In the old analog days, we used to print our negatives forwards and backwards and glue the juxtaposed prints to a board to create mirror image compositions. Today, digital technology makes it so much easier,” fine art photographer Abigail Migala told ECM in an interview following an artist’s reception at Mission Trails Regional Park.

 

An exhibition of her dramatic flower and car photography titled “Blooms and Vrooms” will be on display through February 25.

 

Using Photoshop, Migala explained, she takes a full or partial image, copies it, adds “blank canvas” width, and then pastes a flipped copy onto the expanded canvas to create a mirror image.

 

“Sometimes I stop there, calling these `duets’ since they are doubled,” the artist said. “Other times I go a step farther, depending on the imagery, and add more blank canvas height-wise.” By adding the doubled mirror image below and flipping it so that four identical images meet in the center, she creates “quartets.”

 

For Migala, the most interesting aspect of the technique is the discovery of entirely new images once the copies are combined. She observed, “I have discovered Darth Vader, a meditating Buddha, and some unmentionable body parts, among other things, in these compound images using this technique,” she said. 

Cars and flowers may seem an odd combination of interests. But Migala grew up in Detroit, our nation’s “Motor City.” She reflected, “Car culture is in my blood. Both vintage and modern vehicle design is interesting from an aesthetic viewpoint, but I have a special nostalgic fondness for the anthropomorphic qualities of old cars and trucks.”

 

With her car photography, she enjoys doing digital manipulation on older vehicles, while with newer or fully restored vehicles, she leaves images “straight and gleaming.” She often focuses on a single element. “I find that oxidized paint and rust lend themselves well to various Photoshop filters," she said, "and I like to bump up the color saturation to give these aged wrecks new glamour.”

 

Around 300 people visited the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor Center during Migala’s artist reception, most stopping by to view the artistic displays and in several cases, purchase prints for sale. “I was thrilled and honored to see so many, especially on Superbowl Sunday,” she noted.

The artist offered appreciation for the Center’s Art Coordinator, Shandel Gamer. “Shandel is an artist herself, but also has a great eye for how to hang imagery for the best display. She made my photographs look great!” said Migala, adding that the Visitor’s Center itself is a stunning building architecturally with a lot of natural light.

 

“We love Mission Trails Regional Park,” the photographer concluded. “Whenever we go into the center I think to myself, “This is something San Diego did right.”

 

For more information on Mission Trails Regional Park, see http://www.mtrp.org/.

For more information on Abigail Migala, visit her websites at www.AKM-art.com and www.RestoreYourOldPhotos.com.

 


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