Poetic prints
Robert Schultz doesn’t need a camera to take photographs. The Roanoke-based poet and author uses a unique method of camera-less photography to create realistic-looking images on conventional and unusual materials.
Many of Schultz’s works are driven by an appreciation for nature and the arts. “My writing and reading life has influenced my art decisively, especially my deep involvement with poet Walt Whitman and the American transcendentalists for whom knowledge starts in the contemplation of nature,” says Schultz.
One of his camera-less photographs is of Whitman. It was created using a process called chlorophyll printing, a technique Schultz learned from Vietnamese-born photographer Binh Danh. Danh’s method of chlorophyll printing uses sunlight to bleach prints onto leaves before casting the leaves in resin to prevent further deterioration. The finished product is a high-resolution render of Whitman on a sheaf of leaves—an apt tribute to the 19th-century poet.
Schultz’s chlorophyll leaf print of Whitman is part of “Against the Dark,” Schultz’s new exhibition at Chroma Projects, and it is displayed alongside prints of many other influential writers and poets, including Emily Dickinson, Frederick Douglass, and Henry David Thoreau. “My chlorophyll prints, and especially the portraits, enact Whitman’s central trope of leaves,” he says. “Death falls into the ground and life rises, renewed, from it.”
Also on display at Chroma are a series of scanography works that Schultz created over the course of one year during the pandemic. The images, which are captured using a flatbed scanner, are part of Schultz’s recently published photo journal, Specimens of the Plague Year. Accompanying each image is a journal entry Schultz wrote, reflecting on the state of the current world in and beyond his garden. “Composition with Magnolia Seeds” focuses on creeping, ominous roots surrounding new growth. “My specimen scans seek to acknowledge both beauty and terror, capturing ephemeral beauty against a deep black background,” says Schultz.—Maeve Hayden
February Shows
Artistic Remedies for Creative Hearts 8767 Seminole Tr., Suite 101, Ruckersville. “Celestial Bodies: Galaxies, Planets and Stars” features work from ARCH members. Opens February 5.
Chroma Projects Inside Vault Virginia, Third St. SE. “Against the Dark” showcases a variety of works by Robert Schultz, including camera-less photography and chlorophyll leaf portraits. Opens February 4.
Crozet Artisan Depot 5791 Three Notch’d Rd. “Mary Maveline Originals: Hand Painted, Hand Crafted, One-of-a-Kind Jewelry Line.” Jewelry that combines the talents of metalsmith Anna Lee and watercolorist Amy Snowden. Meet the artists at 1pm on February 12.
C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery 118 E. Main St., Downtown Mall. “Fresh Perspectives” features work from four new members. Opens February 4.
The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA 155 Rugby Rd. “Open Window: Emilio Sanchez on Paper” investigates the effects of light and shadow on architecture and landscapes across the globe.
Jefferson School African American Heritage Center 233 Fourth St. NW. “They Came to Play” traces the experience of Black sports in Charlottesville from the turn of the 20th century to its end. Opens February 26.
McGuffey Art Center 201 Second St. NW. In the Smith Gallery, “Lay My Burdens Down,” works from Cville Black Arts Collective. Opens February 4.
Northside Library 705 Rio Rd. In the lobby, watercolors and acrylics by Jane Matthews. In the Quiet Room, photography by Bill Shaw.
PVCC Gallery 501 College Dr. In the North and South Galleries, “These Memories Can’t Wait,” lifetime artworks by former visual arts department chairperson Beryl Solla. Opens February 4.
The Ruffin Gallery 179 Culbreth Rd. “Counterpoint” by Sepideh Dashti, recent and new photography, textile, and video installation work. Through February 24.
Second Street Gallery 115 Second St. SE. In the Main Gallery, “A Suh Wi Dweet,” mixed-media works by Stuart Robertson. In the Dové Gallery, “Ghana to Gullah,” photography by Marley Nichelle. Opens February 4.
Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital 500 Martha Jefferson Dr. In the second floor lab hall, paintings by Randy Baskerville. Through April.
Shenandoah Valley Art Center 126 S. Wayne Ave., Waynesboro. In the Invitational Gallery, works from students of The Shenandoah Valley Governor’s School Arts and Humanities Program. In the Hallway Gallery, works from members of the Blue Ridge Virginia Art Education Association. In the Member’s Gallery, “Red,” works by SVAC members. Opens February 4.
Studio IX 969 Second St. SE. “Portraits of Running and Resilience’’ features work by Jill Meriwether as part of the Prolyfyck Exhibition Series. Opens February 4.
Unitarian-Universalist Church 717 Rugby Rd. “Ephemeral Spirits,” mixed media paintings by Dolly Joseph. Through February and viewable online.
Vault Virginia 300 E. Main St. “Nature, Us, and The Future,” a female artists’ group exhibition. Opens February 4.
Visible Records 1740 Broadway St. “On The Palette of Scarlet,” photography by Fumi Ishino. Opens February 18.
The Wayne Theatre Exhibit Gallery, 521 W. Main St., Waynesboro. “Rhythm and Blues” by Barbara Coyle Holt. Opens February 24.
Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge 250 Pantops Mountain Rd. “The Joy of Color: A Multimedia Journey” showcases works from the BozArt Fine Art Collective. Opens February 2.
