Two women share their love for the Lowcountry through photographs.
The Beaufort Art Association is proud to present “Twin Lens Reflection
s,” an exhibition of photography by featured artists Sandy Dimke and Karen M. Peluso. The exhibit will run from November 14, 2011 to January 8, 2012 with an opening reception on Saturday evening, November 19 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Beaufort Art Association Gallery, 913 Bay Street. The show will include digital, traditional, infrared and hand-painted photographs, prints, and notecards.
Both artists bring dynamic photography backgrounds to their works. Sandy and Karen have been friends for almost a decade, covering much of the same subject matter from different points of view. It seemed natural to them to work together on an exhibition.
Indeed, when their works are viewed side by side, it seems not only natural, but organic. Sandy spent 25 years focusing on architectural photography in Connecticut before her move to Beaufort awakened a passion for natural and botanical art. Like Karen, she has years of experience with traditional darkroom techniques, but has also embraced digital technology and enjoys the freedom of her “computer lightroom,” as she calls it, to make unique digital creations.
Karen’s focus on art photography perfectly complements Sandy’s images. She enjoys creating luminous black and white photographs, then hand-painting selections with oils or acrylics when, as Sandy eloquently puts it, the images “cry for a little color.” Sandy astutely describes her friend’s compositions as “vignettes” – close-up, intricate shots of garden details, gates and doorways, lending them a surreal mystery and beauty.
Where the women overlap is in their love of the 
Lowcountry, often using their photography as windows into idyllic natural settings. Though they both enjoy traveling, Sandy and Karen gain the most satisfaction by focusing their photographic efforts on the scenery close to home. This commitment to the Lowcountry also spills over into enthusiastic community involvement. Sandy is one of the founding members of the Photography Club of Beaufort and her photograph “Solitary Pine at Sunrise” won 2010 Best in Show at the Carolina Nature Photographers Association. Karen finds local inspiration not only for her photography, but also for her award-winning poetry, and previously served as Poet in Residence at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens.
“Twin Lens Reflections” is an opportunity for these two seasoned photographers to share their love of the Lowcountry with Beaufort at large. Luckily, it also doubles as an opportunity for Beaufort’s citizens and visitors to view unique photographic perspectives of local scenic treasures.
