MU grad presents a different take on Missouri
Sean Comstock, posted March 7, 2007
The State Historical Society of Missouri is hosting the “Light & Life in Missouri” exhibit featuring photos captured by Notley Hawkins. The Columbia native expresses his fondness of the state through 66 digital photos ranging from fairs to antique houses.
“The medium of digital photography is very immediate and provides the opportunity to experiment without fear of wasting film and paper,” Hawkins said.
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Photos from Notley Hawkins' Light & Life in Missouri exhibit currently at the State Historical Society.
Hawkins roots are evident in the painterly style of many of his images as they capture the play of light and movement.
— photos by Sean Comstock
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Hawkins studied painting at Columbia College in 1987 where he received his bachelor’s degree before attaining his master’s at MU.
While having never taken a course in photography, Notley began his career in photography a few years ago, following his growing disinterest in painting. However, Hawkins did retain aspects of his painting illustrated through the long, horizontal dimensions of his photos.
Many of the images mimic a painter’s canvas utilizing an array of lush, vibrant colors filling the sky and foreground. Hawkins has an ability to interpret how light plays with the camera. This is especially prevalent in scenes in the exhibit from county fairs while creating luminous rainbows from fluorescent carnival lights.
The exhibit features images from the Missouri State Fair, Callaway and Boone County fairs as well as the Mokane World’s Fair and Twilight Festival. However, only a few of Hawkins’ photos focused on people. “Rex Bandy” is a close-up photo of an old man with an extremely weathered face and brittle hair.
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"Rex Bandy" is one of the few images in the exhibit that focus on an individual.
— photo by Sean Comstock
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“I was amazed at this photo because his face was very aged and depressing, but I was always drawn back to his eyes,” said Ashley Mclaughlin, a freshman at Columbia College. “They made me think of everything he has seen in his life.”
The exhibit is free of charge at the State Historical Society of Missouri on the east side of Ellis Library and will be available through May 12. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. To view some of Hawkins’ photos visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/10thavenue/.
