Willow Glen Resident
Community
Photograph by Vicki Thompson
Creative Stretch: Marvin Mednick participated in a Stanford continuing studies class, Creating a Photography Exhibition: From Concept to Opening, for Bay Area photographers. The culmination of the class is an exhibition in an art gallery.
Marvin Mednick's photographs reflect his abstract world view
By Emilie Crofton
At first glance his work appears to be an abstract art painting. Even after much scrutiny it is hard to believe this colorful and vibrant artwork is actually a photograph from a series titled "Abstract Reflections."
The photographer responsible for this creative photography is Willow Glen resident Marvin Mednick.
Mednick participated in a Stanford continuing studies class, Creating a Photography Exhibition: From Concept to Opening, for Bay Area photographers. The class, taught by photographer Brigitte Carnochan, introduces students to the process of selecting and publicizing work, and how to prepare for a show.
Admission to the class is selective, based on a review of the photographer's submitted portfolio. Nineteen students were accepted.
The class culminates with an art gallery exhibition. This year it was held in March at Modernbook Gallery in Palo Alto.
"As an aspiring local artist the class has been a great opportunity and has provided an insight into what is involved in order to formally display and sell my work, as well as how to continue forward," Mednick says. "It has exposed me to another world."
Mednick's signature work is his "Abstract Reflections." He uses different subjects including small tiles and ribbons, reflecting them into thin sheets of shiny plastic Mylar. He twists and turns the Mylar to distort the reflection and adjusts the light to take extreme close-up shots.
"At first I would go outside and find my images, such as close-ups of oil spots and raindrops," Mednick says. "With the Mylar and tiles I can create my own images. I have more control."
Over time Mednick says he has learned not to force the picture and just let it come out on its own. "It's all about finding the right light. Usually mornings and afternoons are the best times," Mednick says.
What Mednick enjoys most is the varied reactions people have when viewing his photographs.
"There is no right or wrong. Everyone will see something different, which is exactly the point," says Mednick, who has been doing this style of work for the past two years.
When he is not taking photographs, Mednick works as a program manager in a local software-engineering firm, but he has always been interested in photography. In 2002 he took classes at Foothill and DeAnza colleges and has since expanded his knowledge and passion for the art.
Before working on "Abstract Reflections," Mednick was into abstract black- and-white night photography.
Most of Mednick's portfolio includes abstract photography. One particular photograph resembles a colorful blur, but on further glance one can see that it is an extreme close-up of a wave breaking on a pebbled beach.
Mednick, a UC-Berkeley College of Engineering graduate, was born and raised in Campbell, but currently lives in the Palm Haven area of Willow Glen.
For more information about Mednick go to www.marvinmednick.com.
