Aretrospective of illustrative photographs by Mark Kseniak has opened at McKay Imaging Studio and Gallery in Red Bank.
“Iceboat” “Images” will run through Nov. 21 at the gallery, located on the second floor at 12 Monmouth St.
In an artist’s statement, Kseniak discusses the various methods he uses to alter images to create a feeling or mood.
“I capture images … and with those images, I create my vision of how I want them to be perceived,” he writes. “I’m not a purist in the sense of creating picture-perfect postcards. Truth be told, I’m a manipulator … All of my images are transformed to look a certain way.”
Kseniak says this approach evolved from a project he began involving handmade books, each on a different theme.
“I wanted the books to be unique, visually stimulating and retain their beauty. For instance, the reenactment series, all shot in color, but after viewing them I felt they were wrong. They needed to be old, faded, scratched and toned. I wanted them to be seen like you just walked into the past.”
“Amusement Park” Similarly, he subdued the look of a series on iceboats shot on a brilliant winter morning.
“They needed to look cold, isolated and have that drab feeling of dead of winter.”
A shoot in the French Quarter of New Orleans called for a different treatment.
“Nothing is as it seems down there. A city rich in history, multi-religious practices, music and drunken debauchery. I left more color and used Vaseline to give me a glow and eeriness. I wanted images that were seen and forgotten, but ones that rolled through one’s mind years later in a dream.”
Kseniak was struck by the similarities between New Mexico and Morocco – symbols, architecture and terrain.
“Places so rich in history needed to be seen in an aged view. Vellum filters, opacity and tone were keys to what they would look like.”
Closer to home, photos like “The Amusement Park” shot in Keansburg and Seaside Park were “a labor of love” for the photographer, who spent part of his youth in Keansburg.
“I wanted them to look like old tintypes; faded memories that grow graceful through the years,” he writes.
“Morocco” Liz and Bob McKay, whose studio is focused on fine art photography, describe their reaction to Kseniak’s work:
“When Mark walked into our gallery to show us his work, we were surprised to find that his images were to be presented to us in a series of gorgeous handmade
books, each one more beautiful than the next. We spent hours slowly leafing through their pages, intrigued by his technique, enraptured by his stories, engrossed by the imagery.”
Gallery hours are Wednesday and Thursday, 1-7 p.m., or by appointment. For information, call McKay Imaging at (732) 842-2272 or visit www.mckayimaging. com.