SAVE A LIFE

Join Mark Hendrickson and Shonda Schilling for the opening of his photographic exhibition FIRE, Thursday night, October 9th, 2003, with photographs as hot as the Valley summer.

Mark Hendrickson has joined forces with Shade, Curt and Shonda Schillings Melanoma Foundation of America. During the opening, which runs Thursday, October 9th, through Sunday, October 12th, 2003, a portion of the proceeds from the sales will benefit Shade.

The exhibition opens at Hendrickson’s gallery: 6105 N. Cattle Track Rd., in Scottsdale.

Pushing the envelope of creative photography

Discovering flowers, flight, and dancers in a box of matches? Thanks to the remarkable “eye” of photographer Mark Hendrickson, his camera has captured images that tease the imagination of the viewer. What’s even more remarkable is the genesis of these images – they burst into flame at the end of ordinary wooden kitchen matches!

Literally playing with fire, Hendrickson shot more than 1,000 images in his Scottsdale studio. “I wondered what the flame of a match would look like up close and experimented with different types of matches, filters, and camera settings,” points out the photographer. “The FIRE series consists of photographic images, with limited edition prints on archival watercolor paper.” (for a preview of this fascinating show, visit www.mhstudios.net)

Rarely since painter Georgia O’keeffe burst upon the art scene with visual paeans celebrating cattle skulls, has an artist found exceptional beauty in such unlikely objects. Of course, Hendrickson has taken the exploration one step further by looking into the hidden worlds of what is considered ordinary.

Born in Wisconsin, attending high school and college in Lexington, Kentucky, Hendrickson moved to Scottsdale just over a decade ago. During the 1990’s, he enjoyed considerable success as a commercial photographer, creating photographs for many national publications.

The photographer worked with Fritz Scholder on several “artist book” projects, and the renowned artist owns several of his recent images. “Considering Fritz’s stature in the world of fine art, I find his interest in my artistic endeavors to be a great complement,” says Hendrickson.

"I want to create new works following the same direction as the FIRE series," says Hendrickson. “Abstract images that challenge the viewer, which may not be immediately recognizable.” Hendrickson is producing and printing his own artist book titled A MATCH BOOK (Match Book Press), with 13 of the FIRE series images. He is also working on a follow up book, a companion piece, titled “FROZEN IN TIME”, in which the artist examines ice.