Chevon McClenney - Portraits & Landscapes

Paul D'Amato

 Paul D'Amato's landscape drew my attention mainly due the detail in the sky which for me can make or break a landscape. He might have underexposed to maintain that detail in the sky, the house is obviously white and it appears underexposed. They way he threw the house to one side of the frame really lets the viewer get a feel for this space and the curvature of the single power line is interesting. I think maybe he wanted us to feel a sense of isolation.

His portrait is very striking, mainly because the quality of light in the room. I know straightaway that this a portrait, but just as much about color.  The hue of her skirt, against her top, against her hair color is probably why she was chosen as a subject to begin with. Facing her toward the window gives her a great shadow along the opposite side of her body which echoes her choice of clothing, accentuating her figure.

Bruce Wrighton 

Bruce Wrighton's work was intriguing simply because its from an era I know nothing about. This is definitely not just a landscape but also a study on color. He has captured the vibrancy of this moment with the juxtaposition of the orange window against the red building, with touches of yellow and green with the coincidence of this red and orange car. That well place light pole draws your eye up right to that window, and the horizontals of the bottom of the car, the Wilber's sign and the half drawn shade in the window all seem very intentional.

Wrighton's portrait to me is about the correlation between this impeccably dressed older lady and the slovenly, bruised guy in the foreground. The angle at which he shot the street is great, the white lines draw your eye all the way to the end of that sidewalk and the bright red mailbox and the bits of red on the hotels and other signs keep your eye moving. It looks like Wrighton also made the decision to go out maybe early morning, as the shadows on the man, woman and mailbox are longer and there are not many people and cars around.