Opening in Rockland, Maine

[John Layton]

Just want to announce my solo opening, at 5pm on Friday, Oct. 5th, at the Stanhope and Spencer Gallery, located on 342 Main St. in Rockland, Maine, just a few steps down the street from the Farnsworth. Originally scheduled to run for the month of October, it now looks like this show may run right through December.

This opening is part of the monthly "First Friday" gallery event in Rockland...so there will be lots of other great venues to check out also.

At any rate, my exhibit will feature a number of large works, all analog-only (film and darkroom - fun printing up the big stuff!) - 30x40's framed out to 36x48, plus an equal number of 20x30's, from locations ranging from the ocean's edge in the northeast, to New Hampshire's white mountains, to the desert southwest, plus a couple from my own backyard.

I'll try to have a couple of my "Layton" cameras (L-1 and L-45A) on hand a the opening also. Should be fun!

[bob carnie]

Good luck John, doing a solo show is a great experience, sometimes bad it all depends on the audience, I have had a couple of bummers and a couple of good ones.

[mathieu Bauwens]

Congrats !

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks for the heads up John. Don't think I can make it for the opening, but my wife and I go to Rockland every few months to get away, so will be sure to check out your work :)

[Thalmees]

Congratulations, good luck in your show.

[jp]

Sounds good. I hope to be there. First Friday is a pretty popular event.

[David Rheubottom]

We hope to get up to Rockland in a couple of weeks. The CMCA and Dowling Walsh are always great and now we can add your show to the list of "must sees". Congrats.

[Steve Sherman]

Congrats John, I can attest after seeing your work at Camera Commons Gallery yesterday a solo show of your work should be a must see for all who appreciate great Photography, analog or otherwise.

[Jim Fitzgerald]

John, congratulations and enjoy the show. Have fun!!

[Bill Kumpf]

Thanks, John, for taking time to discuss your work and methods when you should have been unpacking and setting up for your show. Your work is amazing. Everyone should visit the gallery and enjoy the show.

Traveling with the family on vacation, I only had today in Rockland. Again, thanks for your time.

[Mark Sampson]

Congratulations John, may many deep-pocketed collectors visit the show!

[Merg Ross]

John, from the work on your homepage, the show should be stellar --- Bird Net, VT/Excellent!

Congratulations! Wishing you a large appreciative crowd.

[jp]

182991

Stopped in quickly this afternoon. Can't get much closer to the Farnsworth than this (brick and purple building). Really the prints look great. From making much smaller prints, I can sort of appreciate the skill and care that went into these! The gallery has plenty of other interesting objects of craftsmanship and art on display too.

[John Layton]

Thanks for all the great support!

My exhibit is one large (and significant) print short until tomorrow's opening. Henry (Spencer) had just gotten it up on the wall on Tuesday (my delivery day) and then...oh...a large piece of lint - right under the plexiglass, dead center! Had to take it back to Vermont, and just this morning I took it apart to give it a thorough cleaning...carefully checking the entire surface with a bright, oblique light and closeup glasses. Glad I did this...but what a pain! Will bring it back tomorrow and get it back up on the wall before the opening. So...JP...please come back to see the "refreshed" print!

Looking forward to this, and to meeting any of you who can manage to stop by. And, seeing as how this is part of a "First Friday" event...there will be lots of other great openings for you to check out if you get bored with mine!

[bob carnie]

Good luck John is there a website that shows your work.?

[John Layton]

Bob...you can click on my name and find my homepage. Seriously in need of an update...lots of work not featured, but you'll get the idea. Thanks again!

Some day I'll come up to Toronto and visit...would like to see your setup!

[rorye]

Best of luck with your show John.

[Chester McCheeserton]

Congrats John, prints are stunning at that scale. Haven't seen a show of prints that large that the artist hand printed themselves in the darkroom in quite a while. Hope the show is a big success.

[Xia_Ke]

I haven't made it up to Rockland yet, but went to the Camera Commons meet-up today and your prints there are stunning John! I particularly loved the Capital Reef Erosion print.

[John Layton]

Great reception in Rockland! Stanhope and Spencer gallery is really elegant...well lit with great walls which fit my large prints perfectly! Many thanks to Henry Spencer and his wife Maureen (Stanhope) Spencer for helping me pull this off. Hope some of you who could not make it to the opening can at least swing by soon to see it.

And Xia...about the Capitol Reef Erosion print - that is a PMK-Pyro/FP4 negative, originally printed on the old Oriental fiber...grade 2 with split (Selectol Soft/Dektol) development. Could not get that look again for years but now have been able to get something as nice with new Ilford Classic and Moersch 4812 Eco developer. Here it is: 183120

This is a 16x20...now I want to crop just a wee bit off the top - and print it large!

[Xia_Ke]

Thanks for the extra info John :) The little thumbnail you posted just doesn't do that one justice. Lots of great prints at CC right now, but that is the one I kept coming back to. My wife and I are hoping to sneak up to Rockland either the last weekend of October or first weekend of November. Looking forward to seeing some more of your work.

[John Layton]

Xia (and others interested in attending my exhibit) - Just keep in mind that sometime after November 1st, some of my work will likely have been moved back from the front of the gallery...but hopefully all pieces will still be on view after then (and until late December). If you do end up visiting in November/December ...be sure to ask Henry which (if any) pieces might have been moved/removed, and he will be glad to let you view them (they would likely be hanging upstairs if not still in the main gallery).

Your best bet would be to phone Henry at the gallery, at 207-593-8442, to find out exactly when stuff will be moved around. Thanks Again...and, as always, I invite any commentary/critique of my work.

[John Layton]

....and don't miss the exhibit of Ai Wei Wei's golden zodiac heads - right next door at the Farnsworth!

[JMO]

I enjoyed viewing the images in Rockland yesterday, especially John Layton’s Pemaquid Surf