in a blue time – solo exhibition by Justin Baker

Gallery Hours: Wed – Fri 12 – 5 pm, Sat 12 – 4 pm
Listen HERE for Justin’s interview with NCPR’s Mitch Teich 

“hand, shadow, weed and New Yorker page.” Archival inkjet print, 2018

Justin Baker’s exhibition, in a blue time, is a product of his extensive “and at times exhaustive” exploration of photography as an alchemic process and medium. In his most recent work, Baker uses long-expired slide film, but processes it as normal color film in order to introduce chance color possibilities. The color prints are then manipulated digitally, allowing for further transmutation and the ability to add elements that didn’t previously exist. 

in a blue time contains three distinct bodies of Baker’s work — each answering a unique question, but all working in tandem. 

A death in the family stemmed from two questions – “how can image-making be most simplified to be more direct?” and the second arising from the concurrent beginning of his fatherhood and imminent death of his own father. Critical to this body of work are the artist’s meditative thoughts on life and death and how these two aspects of life are necessary. 

Exodus from Mirth (a requiem for Sara Burdock) sees Baker returning to his interest in introducing more chance into the photographic process and color. 

“Frodo’s Ghost XVII” Archival inkjet print, 2019

Frodo’s ghost and other ephemera, is the culmination of experimentation with other materials and process — primarily using 3 black and white negatives plus 3 RGB filters to create color separations. This method of color photography was the first viable means to create color photographs. With this ongoing body of work the concentration has shifted more towards the experience of time, perception and illusory space.

Justin Baker grew up in Greenwich, NY. He attended Sage Jr. College of Albany for two years and studied Photography. The next two years were spent playing music and writing songs with his friends. Purchase College came next, where his artistic strides led him to Printmaking and, again Photography. In 2007 Justin received his MFA with a concentration in Combined Media at SUNY Albany. Justin teaches Digital Imaging and Web Art and Design at Hudson Valley Community College. He is also a board member of Collar Works Gallery in Troy, NY. He currently lives in Troy, NY with his wife Kyra, daughters Lola and Rona, and cats Lulu and Lilly.

The Courthouse Gallery is located at the side entrance of the Old County Courthouse, corner of Canada and Lower Amherst Streets, Lake George, NY.  The Courthouse Gallery hours during exhibitions are Wednesday through Friday 12 – 5 pm, Saturday 12 – 4 pm, and all other times by appointment.

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