FEATURED ECAG MEMBER ARTIST: Barbara Bryan
What started as a job eventually turned into a passion. One of Barbara's responsibilities while working at Coca-Cola for 27 years was that of Quality Assurance Manager. In this position, she performed facility inspections for safety, sanitation, and production issues. Starting in the late 1990s, photographing out-of-compliance conditions with a company camera was a part of her job. At the time, digital cameras were relatively new. The camera she used in her job held a 3.5 floppy disk that held only 1.4 megabytes. Digital cameras have come a long way in the past 30 years! Now she uses 32 gigabytes SD cards.
When Barbara retired, the company presented her with a new camera, and the rest is history. Within one month, her life changed drastically. She retired, re-married, and re-located from Jackson, MS to Wetumpka. Little did she know what was to come. The home that she shares with her husband Bob is located on 7 acres of part woods, part lawn with several substantial pecan trees. Since the area is sparsely populated and on the edge of thick woods high on the rim of the crater overlooking Wetumpka, it affords lots of opportunities for photography. It abounds with wildlife and other beautiful and interesting subjects.
Barbara Bryan, Christmas Robin, photography
Barbara Bryan, Singin' in the Rain, photography
Barbara has always been an animal lover. In fact, she planned to become a veterinarian when she graduated from college, but life intervened, and she had to change course. With time to pursue her newly found passion, the deer, birds, and other wildlife seen through the many large windows of "The House That Bob Built" soon became the focus of her photography. As a volunteer with the Humane Society of Elmore County, Barbara served as their photographer, taking photos of animals available for adoption and items donated for Silent Auctions.
Barbara has taken several photography courses offered by local professional photographers such as Barry Chrietzberg, Paul Robertson, Ryan Bartels, and some online courses. She was a member of the Capital City Camera Club for many years. Barbara's competition was the Alabama State Fair Photo Competition, where she helped hang photos for several years. After winning Best of Show and High Points her second year of competing, she was hooked!
Barbara Bryan, Three Fawns, photography
To satisfy her desire to share her experiences and what she had learned with her friends, she formed and hosted a camera club made up of some like-minded budding photographers. They met regularly to learn and to share their expertise. Field trips were a part of their activities. Some of these friends have gone on to become professional photographers. "I'm so blessed to have found something I'm passionate about that is also a creative outlet. I love taking and editing photos to submit for competitions, giving as gifts, or simply posting to social media. I'm not a "professional" photographer since I don't do this for a living, but I know good art when I see it. The ECAG offers me an opportunity to enjoy and share my artistic creativity. I'm also very thankful for the friendships I've established through the ECAG and for the things I've learned about what makes art in any form good enough to be enjoyed," said Barbara.
Congratulations to ECAG Member Svetlana Nelson
Two works by Elmore County Art Guild member Svetlana Nelson are are included in the Modern Art Museum, Castle Hubertendorf, Austria exhibition titled "Work of Art and Creator." The exhibition opened on January 23 and will close on April 26, 2021.
The MAMAG is a private museum of modern and contemporary art in Lower Austria between Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Wels and Munich. The core collection consists of original artwork by the Pop Art artist Tanja Playner.
Follow this link for more information: Modern Art Museum, Castle Hubertendorf, Austria
