About the Exhibition
For the photographers in this exhibition, pursuing happiness has a multiplicity of meanings. They show that happiness has individualistic significance. But, for most Americans, happiness is not just a private pursuit, but a public good. One of the nation’s founding documents, the Declaration of Independence, assures us that the project of happiness is an unalienable right for its people.
Laudelina Martinez, Curator
Samantha Kelley, Production and Curatorial Assistant
These photographs are available for sale and most are limited edition.
Antonio Grillo-Lopez
The pursuit of happiness is an endeavor in which most are involved. It is very personal and multifactorial. Important parts in this pursuit include: a) love, probably the most important. It would be impossible to achieve happiness without love, one needs to love and be loved; b) partnership -- a friend, a partner, a spouse makes one whole and is indispensable; loneliness is the foremost opposite of happiness; c) family, the result of love and partnership is a key ingredient; d) personal and professional success are important; e) belief in God, believing that our lives are in His hands, trusting that He cares for us and stands by us as we undergo the travails of life in this modern world with all its problems. Achieve all of these and you will have achieved happiness. The art I create is best when it is the product of happiness, when it portrays happiness, when it brings to the fore these most important ingredients of happiness : love, partnership, family, success, and God.
Hassan II Mosque (interior view) in Casablanca
2024
Digital color photograph
8" x 10" starting at $200, please inquire for additional sizes
Camels for Rent at Agadir
2024
Digital color photograph
8" x 10" starting at $200, please inquire for additional sizes
Smallest House in Town, Teror, Canarias
2024
Digital color photograph
8" x 10" starting at $200, please inquire for additional sizes
Farmers Market at Agadir
2024
Digital color photograph
8" x 10" starting at $200, please inquire for additional sizes
Nancy Noble Gardner
Nature, nurture, leisure …..happiness is here. Time and again.
Walkers
2008
12" x 8"
Digital color photograph
$300
Dwight Cheu
I selected these three images for the exhibition as they capture, for me, an important essence of our country. The eagle image, of course, is a clear symbol, standing out in spite of the darkness and encroaching thicket. The two gulls through their harmony show love and fortitude -- taken after visiting Fort Sumter of Civil War fame. And the Pied-billed Grebe in the golden hour seems to have attained perfect happiness.
Life's Harmony
2024
Digital color photograph
21" x 15"
$225
Hidden Eagle
2024
Digital color photograph
12" x 15"
$225
Golden Hour
2024
Digital color photograph
15" x 12"
$225
Fred Neudoerffer
I pursue my happiness through visual experiences. After many years as a commercial detail product photographer I find myself always looking at the details of the reality around me. Everything we see is made up of details which I think are often overlooked by most as they look at the overall scene for it's beauty or interest. What makes me happy is to find those details in reality that I can capture and present as a scene or image that others may not see. I take pictures every day and night in any weather and every photo is only an experiment until I can study that image to realize it's potential as a work of art.
2021
18" x 24"
Framed print
$370
2021
18" x 24"
Framed print
$370
2021
18" x 24"
Framed print
$370
2022
16" x 24"
Framed print
$350
2022
30" x 20"
Framed print
$450
Grizel Ubarry
We live in a country becoming more complicated and polarized every day. The more reason to travel the world and enjoy the simple things that inspire us. Only by traveling can we expose ourselves to different landscapes and lifestyles… whether it be watching a beautiful sunset, or ending the day for this vendor in Mexico. It could be a night out for dinner having discovered the perfect place in some medieval town in Tuscany. How about taking off on a motorcycle ride into the deep countryside of a place you have never been to.
Traveling exposes people to different cultures and traditions, creating lasting memories, such as seen in the rhythmic style of dancers moving to the drumming of African music. There are countless benefits to traveling in one pursuit to finding what makes us happy. A special one for me was exploring a Roman wine cellar, using my camera to capture the colors and the lighting, making it my secret space.
Shadow Dancer #3
2023
Digital color photograph
Contact Gallery if interested in purchasing
Motorcycle Living
2023
Digital color photograph
Contact Gallery if interested in purchasing
A Secret Space
2024
Digital color photograph
Contact Gallery if interested in purchasing
Dinner Night Out
2024
Digital color photograph
Contact Gallery if interested in purchasing
Solo Vendor Aspirations
2023
Digital color photograph
Contact Gallery if interested in purchasing
Jim Craner
I have been drawn to the world of horses and their connection to humans, our partners for centuries. They take great joy in the simple habits that characterize their species.
Late evening is a peaceful and quiet time high in the alpine meadows of the
Pryor Mountains. The warm light and colors of the valley behind them made this
an unforgettable day with the wild horses.
Rescued from a US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) holding pen after being
taken from his herd, this mustang was rehomed by an equine rescue and
sanctuary organization. The “freeze brand” on his neck encodes identifying
information about him. Now free to run again, he romps through the fields of his
new home.
Grooming strengthens bonds, provides comfort, and helps the horses stay
healthy. Horses will daily spend hours enjoying this simple pleasure.
Thoroughbred race horses have short careers with many succumbing to injuries
or falling from favor due to poor performance. These two are among the lucky
ones that live out their lives in sanctuaries, or are retrained and rehomed as
pleasure or companion horses.
Lone Mustang Grazing at Sunset
2016
Digital color photograph
11"x 14"
$250
Rescued Wild Mustang
2017
Digital color photograph
11"x 14"
$250
Mustangs Grooming at Sunset
2016
Digital color photograph
11"x 14"
$250
Retired Thoroughbreds at Their Sanctuary Home
2016
Digital color photograph
11"x 14"
$250
Grace Tatara
When working with photography, I capture anything that strikes me in the moment with my phone. A lot of times it is nature countered by humanity and life existing.
"Circles" I captured while at a playground with my nephew and I was able to abstract the jungle gym and focus on the geometry countered by the sky.
"Unicorn" was just sitting there on the trash compactor when I was taking out the broken glass bin at work and the existing rust was an added bonus for me, as I used to create sculpture with rusted metal.
"Circle" captured my eye on a walk around the neighborhood while on the same route we always take, but now it had the sunlight and the right composition as the flowers overgrew enough.
With "Batman", I appreciated the drawing and what the artist created, before it becomes lost to time.
I don’t look for picture perfect moments, but situations others might overlook.
Circles
2023
Digital color photograph
8" x 10"
$200
Circle
2024
Digital color photograph
8" x 10"
$200
Batman
2024
Digital color photograph
8" x 10"
$200
Unicorn
2024
Digital color photograph
10" x 8"
$200
Michael Hart
In my photos of people and animals, I try to convey the "here, now and more.” Taking photos is always a finger-snap in time act, but if I’m alert and lucky and do it right, the photos can show something true about a subject’s life. I try to show the exterior accurately, and in that, bring the interior forward. A good photo will show something surprising, insightful and true about a subject’s life. That showing isn’t always evident in everyday life, but in the good photo, it’s there.
Lucas
2014
Digital color photograph
8 ½"" x 11"
$200
Robbie
2016
Digital color photograph
8 ½"" x 11"
$200
Scottie & Tennis Ball
2017
Digital color photograph
8 ½"" x 11"
$200
Jeanne Finley
The key word in the title of this exhibit is “pursuit,” since, like enlightenment or a perfect cup of coffee, happiness itself is ephemeral. But we seek it anyway. Refugee children growing up in America are their parents’ happiness. A mother throws back her head and laughs at something that delights her, surrounded by her equally amused children. A couple embraces in a moment of happiness limited only by each other. A covered bridge becomes a metaphor for how to travel toward happiness. Two solitudes are from my own Happy Place, the Ann Lee Pond and grounds, which are encircled by woods and where I go in all seasons to be surrounded by happiness if I just expand the definition.
Birch Woods
2016
Digital color photograph
Starting size 8½" x 11"
Starting price $350
Lark Street
2016
Digital black and white photograph
11 ¼” x 16 ½”
$500
Blenheim Covered Bridge
2016
Digital color photograph
17 ½” x 23”
$500
Refugee Kids, Elk Street
2018
Digital black and white photograph
Starting size 8½" x 11"
Starting price $350
148/1892
2011
Digital black and white photograph
Starting size 8½" x 11"
Starting price $350
Winter Woods
2016
Digital color photograph
Starting size 8½" x 11"
Starting price $350
About the Artists
Antonio Grillo-Lopez may be described as someone with deep interests in science, medical research, and the visual and performing arts. He practiced as an oncologist; taught in medical schools in Puerto Rico and Michigan; mentored young physicians; helped discover 25 anticancer agents with other medical innovations; and authored more than 400 publications, while maintaining an active program of painting and creating art. The implication that all matter is related predominates in his creative work.
Nancy Noble Gardener is a fine art photographer who explores the themes of eternity and balance through entrancing photographs; she has exhibited in the Northeast and Greece. Noble Gardner also maintained a psychotherapy practice in Upstate New York.
Dwight Cheu began his photography journey about 20 years ago taking pictures of his kids' running & swimming teams. Now retired, he's exploring nature photography. In 2024 he wants to improve his use of light and composition.
Fred Neudoerffer sees photography in the simplest of terms, composition without chaos. He uses the basic tools and techniques of his cameras and lenses and his darkroom experience to capture and present images of detail, light and shadow. As an artist, most of the art he creates is defined by themes and parameters and then presented in series form. A good portion of his work leans toward the abstract but is always just the reality in front of him. Fred is very involved in the arts in the Capital Region as a member of The Oakroom Artists, Volunteer Director of The Artists' Space at The National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa, Vice President at Choose Cohoes for Art, Inc. and works to bring the art of the region to the community.
Grizel Ubarry has been a photo artist for about 10 years. She manages a blog along with other platforms that she uses to share her storytelling and photos. She recently retired in 2023, closing her 40-year management consulting practice to travel nonstop for the next 2-3 years, dedicating much of her newfound time to photography, traveling and writing. She plans to expand the content on her blog as well as pursue other opportunities by undertaking purposeful projects and collaborations that both serve humanity and reduce the destruction of the planet.
Jim Craner has been a photographer for well over 50 years, a constant in his life providing fulfillment and artistic expression. Later in life, Jim has narrowed his work to taking an interest in nature and wildlife.
Grace Tatara graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Painting concentration from Sage College of Albany in 2009. While in school, Grace worked at Opalka Gallery as a gallery assistant. That is where she expanded her love of art with the creative work involved with shows. After college, Grace worked at the Arts Center of the Capital Region and Martinez Gallery in Troy. In 2012, she was a grant panel member for the NYS Council of the Arts. And in 2013, she was the News and Information Coordinator for Art de Cure. Grace has guest curated a show at Tempo Fine Arts in Tannersville, NY. For the past fifteen years, Grace has shown her art throughout upstate New York.
Michael Hart has been a reporter and editor working for five New York and Connecticut newspapers from 1970 through 2009, retiring just as the internet made its claims on paper journalism. He has also spent several years working as a freelance writer and photographer. His subjects have included folksinger Pete Seeger, oral historian Studs Terkel, and historian Barbara Tuchman. He loves dogs and baseball in part because attending to the moment marks them both.
Jeanne Finley is a writer, editor, and fine art photographer in New York. She uses her experience telling narratives on paper to present stories in images, some through photojournalism and others through the imaginative use of landscape. She keeps an active exhibition schedule in the region. Her photographs of activism in NY's Capital Region are being collected by the Albany Institute of History and Art.
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