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The proposed development in canyons north of Santa Paula has been a controversial topic in recent months, but two local award-winning artists are presenting a view inside those canyons few people have seen.
Photographer John Nichols and painter Gail Pidduck will present an exhibit titled "Working in the Canyons," Saturday through Dec. 16 at Nichols' gallery on historic Main Street in the heart of Santa Paula.
"They will eventually be developed because this is Southern California," Nichols said of the canyons. "One of the jobs of the artist is to go to these places and bring back what we have seen and try to present it as truly as possible."
During the past year, the two artists were in the canyons before dawn and finished working by 9 a.m. to get the best light.
Early morning mist shrouds the background mountains in one of the photographs, while a road snakes through a field of bright golden mustard highlighted by the rising sun.
"Five miles from civilization and you might as well have been in the wilderness," Nichols said. "We went deeper into the canyons than most people can go."
It was a great collaboration, he said.
"I would never have been able to do this body of work on my own," he said. "We have inspired each other in the pursuit of this. We made this happen."
For this exhibit, Pidduck, whose recent work has focused on field workers in Ventura County, painted landscapes as well as farmworkers and cowboys on horseback in the canyons doing the work that they do.
Nichols' photographs show the artistic in mundane things: a hay barn in Aliso Canyon, a big silver ball in front of a rusted shed in Fagan Canyon, flowers in a rusted metal bowl. "Visual blessings being showered down on us by the forces of nature," he said.
Nichols' interest in photography was piqued by a photograph rather than a camera. Thirty-three years ago, he had an antique store and found an Edward Curtis photograph.
"It was one of the masterpieces of the 20th century, called The Vanishing Race.' I didn't know what I had," he said. Eventually, he took it to a dealer in Los Angeles. "I started looking in books, studying the history of photography and buying photographs," he said.
Nichols, who has a bachelor's degree in history, taught science at Colina Middle School in Thousand Oaks. An excited student brought him to the photo lab and introduced him to the development process. That weekend, he bought an enlarger at a swap meet and set up a darkroom in his garage, and later he and his wife bought a house in Santa Paula with a darkroom.
"My formal training was Photography 1A and 1B at Moorpark College," he said. "More than self-taught, I am taught by my collection." He joined the New Pictorialists Society, became a board member and curator of exhibits, and eventually was awarded the title of Fellow in the New Pictorialist Society.
"A series of chance occurrences led me to where I am today," he said. "Eventually, I had a big enough collection and knew enough artists that when I left public school teaching in 1984, I could start a gallery. There is no money in fine art photography, so I have always supported it with day jobs."
He has done window screen repair, sold used books and started a business called the Sespe Group, designing and installing exhibits.
Although many photographs in this exhibit are in brilliant color, until about three years ago, Nichols worked only in black and white.
"In 2002, I went to Cuba to photograph with Bill Hendricks from Ventura College," Nichols said. "I took half color, half black and white, covering my bases for going with color. Since I came back, I have printed only one black-and-white image." He now uses a Canon 5D digital camera and bought an Epson wide-format digital printer. He offers custom framing and digital printing services for artists and photographers.
An opening reception for "Working in the Canyons" is from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. The exhibit can be viewed from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays at the gallery, 916 E. Main St. For information, visit the Web site http://www.johnnicholsgallery.com.
Area artists interested in being profiled in this section may contact Nicole D'Amore at ArtProfiles@Adelphia.net or 405-0364.
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