From the series Representación Topográfica by fine arts photographer Ricardo Rodriquez.

From the series Representación Topográfica by fine arts photographer Ricardo Rodriquez.

From the series Representación Topográfica by fine arts photographer Ricardo Rodriquez.

From the series Representación Topográfica by fine arts photographer Ricardo Rodriquez.

Written by Contributors Myrna Cambianca and Letitia Grimes

For the month of June, the Ojai Photo Club changes its focus to the avant-garde, welcoming fine arts photographer Ricardo Rodríguez as its guest presenter. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, June 16, 2015, at 7:00 p.m. at Help of Ojai’s Kent Hall, 111 Santa Ana Street, Ojai, CA.

While most photographers are interested in creating realistic images, Rodriguez seeks to blur the line between representation and reality. In the meetinghe will deconstruct his process as an artist and raise a dialogue about how photography changes our perception of reality and time. This promises to be an adventurous and stimulating discussion, discarding established views of photography and looking instead at the dissonance between what we see and what appears in a photograph.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Rodríguez has an acute sense of living at the intersection of two cultural realities, where appearances can be deceptive. He works with multiple intersections of materials, surfaces and spatial dynamics, using both film and digital photography as well as unconventional techniques such as photograms and installations.

After completing his BA at the University of Puerto Rico, Rodríguez moved to Southern California for graduate study at Brooks Institute in Ventura, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in 2010. He was gallery curator at the Tool Room Gallery in Ventura and taught at Ventura College. His work is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach, which is internationally recognized as one of the most significant collections of contemporary Latin American fine art in the nation. Recently his photography was featured in “Parallel Realities,” a collaborative exhibit with Janet Neuwalder, at galerie102 in Ojai. He is now living in the Los Angeles area, teaching art at Flintridge Preparatory School. Visit his website for extended information and images: http://ricardorodriguez.net

For the second part of the meeting, Ojai’s own local Renaissance man, Peter Bell-wood, will be on hand to bring his insightful and entertaining commentary to the monthly review of members’ images. Bellwood, a frequent contributor to Ojai Quarterly Magazine, has an extensive background in multiple fields, including screenwriting, acting, music, and the art of collage. Born in Yorkshire, England, he holds a Master of Arts from Cambridge University, and first came to the U.S. as an actor in the British satire shows, “The Establishment” and “Beyond the Fringe.” As a film and television screenwriter, his credits include “Highlander” and “La Femme Nikita.” His collages have been exhibited locally and he is a member of “The Household Gods,” voted most popular band in Ojai. He once ran for political office in Massachusetts on the platform “Not Insane.” He lost!

Monthly presentations are part of the Ojai Photography Club’s community service and education outreach. Visitors are welcome to attend.

The club, which is devoted to education, inspiration, and camaraderie, meets on the third Tuesday of each month, February – November. Only members may submit images for critique. More information is available at: www.ojaiphotoclub.com/